Politics, Progress, and the Constitutional Order Essays in Political Philosophy

"This collection of essays is a representative sample of the research of Robert K. Faulkner (1934-2023), who taught political philosophy at Boston College for more than four decades. Comprising seventeen studies from every period of Faulkner's long and distinguished career, this volume ranges widely through the history of moral, legal, and political thought, from Aristotle to Machiavelli, Plato to Francis Bacon, Xenophon to John Locke, John Marshall to Alexander Bickel. Together these essays examine the theory and practice of constitutional government, the philosophical foundations of modern republicanism, and the principles of great statesmanship as embodied by George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, and Abraham Lincoln, among others. Those who knew Robert Faulkner will find in these pages reminders of his characteristic seriousness of purpose, his erudition, and, not infrequently, his graceful wit. Those encountering him here for the first time will find a sure guide to the theoretical questions that arise out of the conduct of political life. Such readers may also come to understand the debt of gratitude Robert Faulkner's many students have incurred.