The British idealists of the late 19th and early 20th century are best known for their contributions to metaphysics, logic, and political philosophy. Yet they also made important contributions to social and public policy, social and moral philosophy and moral education, as shown by this volume. Their views are not only important in their own right, but also bear on contemporary discussion in public policy and applied ethics. Among the authors discussed are Green, Caird, Ritchie, Bradley, Bosanquet, Jones, McTaggart, Pringle-Pattison, Webb, Ward, Mackenzie, Hetherington, Muirhead, Collingwood and Oakeshott. The writings of idealist philosophers from Canada, South Africa, and India are also examined. Contributors include Avital Simhony, Darin Nesbitt, Carol A. Keene, Stamatoula Panagakou, David Boucher, Leslie Armour, Jan Olof Bengtsson, Thom Brooks, James Connelly, Philip MacEwen, Efraim Podoksik, Elizabeth Trott and William Sweet.

British philosophy in the last third of the nineteenth and first third of the twentieth centuries.

Showing the inseparability of the British idealists' social and political radicalism from the inherent logic of idealism, this book makes extensive use of previously unpublished British idealist manuscripts.

This book reassesses the origins, development and legacy of the philosophy of the British idealists, demonstrating the enduring relevance of their thought for the modern discipline. This body of work coheres around the single unifying theme of the self – a concept of central importance to the idealist school. Particular attention is also paid to the many connections that hold between various philosophers and branches of philosophy, as well as creating a set of continuously running dialogues between contributing authors. Readers will discover a comprehensive, stimulating and sharply focused panorama of British idealist thought, which will be useful to philosophers, historians of ideas, political and social theorists, psychologists, and policy-makers who wish to gain a deeper understanding of the citizen as a self.

This book offers a reassessment of the political philosophy of the British Idealists, a group of once influential and now neglected nineteenth-century Hegelian philosophers, whose work has been much misunderstood. Peter Nicholson focuses on F. H. Bradley's idea of morality and moral philosophy; T. H. Green's theory of the Common Good, of the social nature of rights, of freedom, and of state interference; and Bernard Bosanquet's notorious theory of the General Will. By examining the arguments offered by the Idealists and by their critics the author is able to penetrate the deep layers of hostile comment laid down by several generations of later writers and to show that these ideas, once properly understood, are not only defensible but interesting and important.

This book offers an introduction to British Idealism through a study of each of the seven key thinkers - T. H. Green, Bernard Bosanquet, F. H. Bradley, Henry Jones, David Ritchie, R. G. Collingwood and Michael Oakeshott.

There has been a significant renewal of interest in the British Idealists in recent years. Scholars have acknowledged their critical contribution to a number of philosophical theories in the fields of politics, law, morality, epistemology and metaphysics.. British Idealism: A Guide for the Perplexed offers a clear and thorough account of this key philosophical movement, providing an outline of the key terms and central arguments employed by the idealists. David Boucher and Andrew Vincent lay out the historical context and employ analytical and critical methods to explain the philosophical background and key concepts. The book explores the contribution of British Idealism to contemporaneous philosophical, political and social debates, emphasizing the continuing relevance of the central themes of their philosophy. Geared towards the specific requirements of students who need to reach a sound understanding of British Idealism, the book serves as an ideal companion to the study of this most influential and important of movements.