John Rawls is widely regarded as one of the most influential philosophers of the twentieth century, and his work has permanently shaped the nature and terms of moral and political philosophy, deploying a robust and specialized vocabulary that reaches beyond philosophy to political science, economics, sociology, and law. This volume is a complete and accessible guide to Rawls' vocabulary, with over 200 alphabetical encyclopaedic entries written by the world's leading Rawls scholars. From 'basic structure' to 'burdened society', from 'Sidgwick' to 'strains of commitment', and from 'Nash point' to 'natural duties', the volume covers the entirety of Rawls' central ideas and terminology, with illuminating detail and careful cross-referencing. It will be an essential resource for students and scholars of Rawls, as well as for other readers in political philosophy, ethics, political science, sociology, international relations and law.

In Modernization and the Structure of Societies, Marion Levy shows the interdependencies of societies as a systematic whole in matters that are relevant for international affairs. He distinguishes different types of societies while simultaneously showing elements common to all societies. In a new epilogue being added to this edition, titled "Modernization Exhumed," the author alleges that criticism of modernization theory has generally been ideological or otherwise nonscientific. He provides a strong defense of his hypothesis. In his new introduction, he concentrates on the concept of interdependency. Modernization and the Structure of Societies is crucial to the understanding of contemporary international problems. It is a necessary addition to the personal libraries of sociologists, political scientists, and scholars of international affairs., Levy writes so as to produce strong reactions, but this does not obscure his real contribution. Because of his ambitious effort to synthesize a tremendous amount of available scholarship, the study is certain to last for a long time as a standard reference in the field of comparative sociology."—Morris Janowitz, American Journal of Sociology, "A giant book raising innumerable problems, often an exasperating book, yet important and likely to be much referred to by writers on comparative politics and administration."—Fred W. Riggs, American Political Science Review.

A Critical Introduction to the Study of Religion introduces the key concepts and theories from religious studies that are necessary for a full understanding of the complex relations between religion and society. The aim is to provide readers with an arsenal of critical concepts for studying religious ideologies, practices, and communities. This thoroughly revised second edition has been restructured to clearly emphasize key topics including: Essentialism Functionalism Authority Domination. All ideas and theories are clearly illustrated, with new and engaging examples and case studies throughout, making this the ideal textbook for students approaching the subject area for the first time.