This page aims to make learning about political philosophy as easy as possible by bringing together the best articles, podcasts, and videos from across the internet onto one page. To get started, simply choose one of the resources listed below:
Encyclopedia Articles
This section features articles from the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy. The SEP is probably the most comprehensive online philosophy resource. It features in-depth articles on a huge number of philosophical topics, however, it is aimed at an academic audience and may be too detailed and technical for beginners. More beginner-friendly resources are listed below this section.
- Political Ideologies
- Political Concepts
- Authority
- Autonomy in Moral and Political Philosophy
- Colonialism
- Democracy
- Distributive Justice
- Equality
- Exploitation
- Global Justice
- Justice
- Human Rights
- Political Legitimacy
- Positive and Negative Liberty
- Political Obligation
- Property and Ownership
- Contemporary Approaches to the Social Contract
- Sovereignty
Articles
This section features short articles from the website 1000-Word Philosophy. These articles are ideal for anyone looking for a shorter or more beginner-friendly introduction to political philosophy than the encyclopedia articles listed above.
- Social Contract Theory by David Antonini
- John Rawls’ ‘A Theory of Justice’ by Ben Davies
- Theories of Punishment by Travis Joseph Rodgers
- Marx’s Conception of Alienation by Dan Lowe
- Just War Theory by Ryan Jenkins
- The Death Penalty by Benjamin S. Yost
- The Prisoner’s Dilemma by Jason Wyckoff
- Hannah Arendt’s Political Thought by David Antonini
- Plato’s Crito: When should we break the law? by Spencer Case
- Reparations for Historic Injustice by Joseph Frigault
- Feminism Part 1: The Sameness Approach by Annaleigh Curtis
- Feminism Part 2: The Difference Approach by Annaleigh Curtis
- Mary Astell’s “A Serious Proposal to the Ladies” (1694) by Simone Webb
- Ethics and the Expected Consequences of Voting by Thomas Metcalf
- Arguments for Capitalism and Socialism by Thomas Metcalf
- Defining Capitalism and Socialism by Thomas Metcalf
- The Death Penalty by Benjamin S. Yost
Podcasts
This section features episodes from the podcasts Philosophy Bites. These are also aimed at a general audience and are a good option for beginners who prefer audio content.
- Melissa Lane on Plato and Totalitarianism
- Quentin Skinner on Machiavelli’s The Prince
- Michael Ignatieff on Political Theory and Political Practice
- Raimond Gaita on Torture
- Quentin Skinner on Hobbes on the State
- Noel Malcolm on Thomas Hobbes’ Leviathan in Context
- Richard Bourke on Edmund Burke on Politics
- Alan Ryan on Freedom and Its History
- Philip Pettit on Republicanism
- Anne Phillips on Political Representation
- Angie Hobbs on Plato on War
- Jeff McMahan on Is There Such a Thing as a Just War?
- Cécile Fabre on Cosmopolitanism and War
- Jeff McMahan on Killing in War
- A.C. Grayling on Bombing Civilians in Wartime
- Seth Lazar on Sparing Civilians in War
- Chandran Kukathas on Genocide
- David Miller on National Responsibility
- Nicola Lacey on H.L.A. Hart and Legal Positivism
- Philip Schofield on Jeremy Bentham’s Utilitarianism
- Martha Nussbaum on Disgust
- John Tasioulas on Human Rights
- Matthew Kramer on Legal Rights
- Tom Sorell on Surveillance
- Will Kymlicka on Minority Rights
- Tim Scanlon on Free Speech
- Jonathan Dimbleby on Free Speech and Censorship
- Alan Haworth on Free Speech and Multiculturalism
- Rae Langton on Hate Speech
- Richard Posner on Copyright
- John Gardner on Constitutions
- Nicola Lacey on Criminal Responsibility
- Catharine MacKinnon on Gender Crime
- Richard Norman on What’s Wrong With Killing?
- Victor Tadros on Punishment
- Gregg Caruso on Freewill and Punishment
- Richard Reeves on Mill’s On Liberty
- Jonathan Wolff on John Rawls’ A Theory of Justice
- Raymond Geuss on Real Politics
- Raymond Geuss on Realism and Utopianism in Political Philosophy
- Anthony Appiah on Cosmopolitanism
- David Miller on Immigration
- Anne Phillips on Multiculturalism
- John Dunn on Locke on Toleration
- Susan Mendus on Toleration
- Wendy Brown on Tolerance
- Anne Phillips on Multiculturalism and Liberalism
- Clare Chambers on Justifying Intervention
- John Horton on Political Obligation and Multiculturalism
- Nancy Fraser on Recognition and Multiculturalism
- David Miller on the Welfare State and Multiculturalism
- Henry Hardy on Isaiah Berlin’s Pluralism
- Ronald Dworkin on the Unity of Value
- Roberto Mangabeira Unger on Deep Freedom
- Nick Phillipson on Adam Smith on What Human Beings Are Like
- Melissa Lane on Rousseau on Civilization
- Jonathan Wolff on Marx on Alienation
- Peter Ghosh on Max Weber and ‘The Protestant Ethic’
- Chandran Kukathas on Hayek’s Liberalism
- John Tomasi on Free Market Fairness
- Jonathan Wolff on Disadvantage
- T.M. Scanlon on What’s Wrong with Inequality
- Danny Dorling on Inequality
- Kate Pickett on the Case for Equality
- Alex Voorhoeve on Inequality
- G.A. Cohen on Inequality of Wealth
- Hillel Steiner on Exploitation
- Michael Sandel on What Shouldn’t Be Sold
- John Broome on Weighing Lives
- David Stuckler on Austerity and Death
- Norman Daniels on the Philosophy of Healthcare
- Jonathan Wolff on Political Bioethics
- Thomas Pogge on Global Justice and Health
- Angus Deaton on Health and Inequality
- Leif Wenar on Trade and Tyranny
- James Garvey on Climate Change
- Robert B. Talisse on Overdoing Democracy
- Sarah Fine on the Right to Exclude
Short Videos (<30 mins)
This section features short videos created by Wireless Philosophy. These are also very beginner-friendly.
Courses
This section features online courses on political philosophy.
- The Moral Foundations of Politics – Ian Shapiro | Yale
- Modern Political Philosophy – John Rawls | Harvard
- Political Philosophy: Ideas of the 20th Century – Daniel Bonevac | University of Texas – Austin
Course Syllabi
See this collection of political philosophy course syllabi.
Books
See this list of the best books on political philosophy.
Quotes
See this page for a selection of the best quotes on political philosophy.
The Daily Idea aims to make learning about philosophy as easy as possible by bringing together the best philosophy resources from across the internet. To get started, check out this organized collection of 400+ articles, podcasts, and videos on a wide range of philosophical topics.
A Collection of the Greatest Philosophical Quotations
