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Rating: 
Summary: The very best guide to the subject
Review: Harvard University Professor Harvey C. Mansfield, Jr., is well known within the discipline of political theory as one of the great figures of our time. Profoundly influenced by Leo Strauss, he also brings to his work a concern for the institutions of constitutional democracy which was a staple at Harvard during the era of Carl Friedrich. He has made original contributions to the study of Machiavelli and recently completed a translation of, and commentary on, Tocqueville's Democracy in America.Mansfield's lectures on ancient, medieval, and modern political philosophy are famously dense and provocative, forcing students to confront the deepest problems posed by some of the greatest minds in Western history. In this remarkable guide, Mansfield conveys with subtle precision the contours, the twists and turns, that political philosophy has taken over the centuries, from Plato to Nietzsche. For any student of political philosophy, this is the place to begin. This slim book can be read at a single sitting, but what Mansfield has to say may keep you thinking for the rest of your life.
Rating: 
Summary: Short, but not the best overview
Review: I bought this guide expecting that it would give a brief high-level overview of the main thinkers and ideas in political philosophy. It didn't do that -- it was more of a political philosopher "sampler", rather than an overview which outlines the high points in the intellectual history of the field. The first 10 pages of the ~50 page essay made some good distinctions & definitions, and emphasized that one should read the "great books" of political philosophy (though it doesn't give a list of those books until the appendix). The rest of the essay wasn't as informative, and just touches on some of the ideas of a couple major philosophers (e.g. Machiavelli, Plato, etc.), and tended to be slightly more interpretive than I like to see in an introduction (intro's should be more objective, because a beginner has a hard time distinguishing opinion from fact). Overall, this book only gave me a "feel" for what political philosophy is, without giving a sense of the entire scope of the field, the connections and/or debate between the various schools of thought, or the relative importance of the various thinkers. Granted, it's hard to give a comprehensive overview in 50 pages, but I think the essay could have been structured better. On the plus side, it is a very short essay -- 50 pages, double spaced.
Rating: 
Summary: Fine, if somewhat short....
Review: This book is a very short summary of political philosophy. Perhaps it is wrong in assuming that a student would not be able to read about this subject in greater detail. After reading this, though, one will want to know more about political philosophy, why one can be both politically active and philosophical, and why politics is important to students, and not just leftist politics. Also, one wonders which political philosophy the author has, as he seems to comment wryly on both conservatism and liberalism with great acuity. A fine read, if somewhat incomplete.
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