Politics & Government · Political Theory
A topic within Political Theory, itself one of 14 topics in that field and part of Politics & Government.
No prior grounding assumed.
Politics and the English Language
George Orwell · 1946
Vague, stale language conceals bad thinking and defends the indefensible; clear prose is a political act.
Assumes you know the vocabulary.
The Prince
Niccolò Machiavelli · 1532
Separates political effectiveness from moral goodness, describing how power is actually held rather than how it ought to be.
+1 more at this level
Primary sources and full treatments.
The Federalist Papers
Hamilton, Madison & Jay · 1788
Argues that factions are inevitable and must be channelled through structure rather than suppressed by virtue.
+1 more at this level
5 works
George Orwell
Vague, stale language conceals bad thinking and defends the indefensible; clear prose is a political act.
Assumes nothing, and it is short enough to finish before you next write anything
≈5,000 wordslink checked 17 Sept 2026Niccolò Machiavelli
Separates political effectiveness from moral goodness, describing how power is actually held rather than how it ought to be.
Assumes a rough sense of Renaissance Italy, or the examples read as a list of unfamiliar names
about 3.5 hours to readlink checked 17 Sept 2026Notes on this copyIan Shapiro (YaleCourses)
Tests utilitarian, Marxist, social-contract and anti-Enlightenment accounts of legitimacy against each other, asking of each what it would take for a government to have earned obedience.
link checked 17 Sept 2026Hamilton, Madison & Jay
Argues that factions are inevitable and must be channelled through structure rather than suppressed by virtue.
about 13 hours to readlink checked 17 Sept 2026Aristotle
Classifies constitutions by who rules and for whose benefit, and argues the best practical regime mixes oligarchy and democracy because no single class governs well for the common good alone.
about 7 hours to readlink checked 17 Sept 2026