Rulers and Ruled

A guide to the fundamentals of political thought. Zeitlin shows that certain thinkers have given us insights that rise above historical context – 'trans-historical principles' that can provide the political scientist with an element of foresight.

Irving M. Zeitlin is Professor Emeritus in the Department of Sociology at the University of Toronto.

'This brisk and vigorous set of encounters with some of the giants in the history of political philosophy exhibits Professor Zeitlin's characteristic scholarly virtues: passionate concern for justice, and therefore an instinct for the real issues, controlled by a generous openness to the texts, and a capacious historical sense. The result is a refreshingly unpedantic, and richly thought-provoking, new perspective on abiding questions and alternatives.'

'A very useful guide for the beginner in political theory, or for someone who just wants a refresher course in the Great Ideas. Zeitlin ... offers an accessible account of the principals of political theory ... and its major practitioners, such as the Greeks, Machiavelli, Locke, Rousseau and the authors of the Federalist Papers.'
The Globe and Mail