Customer Reviews
Unsatisfying - By: Leitmotif, 28 Feb 2008 
This was a mildly interesting introduction to an interesting subject. I felt it rambled a little, & was disappointed that it did not introduce any key theorists & missed out some key concepts (sovereignty, for example). The book only really succeedsin raising some key questions, but does not introduce one to the multifarious attempts to answer these questions. Furthermore, Miller's own opinions (given heavy weightingin the final chapters) are not particularly interesting or radical, & given the nature of the medium (a 'very short introduction') would be better presented elsewhere.
If you want a very short introduction to the subject of political philosophy, a good alternative is the 'Politics: A Very Short Introduction', which I have found to be a much better read & much more thorough.
Gets my vote - By: Petrolhead, 03 Dec 2007 
Short, readable, crystal clear. Politics books are often a hard climb or at least a tedious trudge. This is a smooth glide by comparison.
Miller states at the start that he wants to avoid jargon & academic mumbo-jumbo & he does just that, taking us on a concise but enjoyable tour of political philosophy. He begins at first principles & gradually builds his arguments, with deftly chosen examples adding depth & colour to the text. The logical progression means that the focus is firmly on democracy (since that is the political system that makes most sense to most people nowadays). Although he presents (and knocks down) arguments for alternative systems, don't expect great forays into the pros & cons of ideologies like Communism or Fascism. Among the concepts he tackles are justice, social justice, freedom, multiculturalism, feminism & globalisation.
The thoughts of political philosophers such as Plato, Rousseau, Locke, Mill & Rawls are woven beautifully into the flow, compact nuggets that reinforce rather than halt the narrative. Anyone who has tried to trawl through Rawlsin the original will whisper a quiet thankyou when they arrive at the digested wisdom of Miller's version.
Miller makes a promise at the outset & he sticks to it: to be scrupulously fair & present all sides of each argument, even if the reader doesn't share his own leanings (which I sensed were slightly leftward).
In sum, it would be hard to do better than this for a well-reasoned introduction to (or refresher course in) political philosophy.
perfectly pocket-sized political philosophy - By: Andrew, 17 Jul 2007 This little book is a quick yet thoughtful work-through of some major areas of political philosophy. Whats great is that you can finish itin a single evening & know loads more than before. David Miller is a very good writer & his narrative style sweeps the reader along as he investigates political issues. Miller has refrained from cluttering his text with unnesscary jargon. Throughly enjoyable & refreshingly different to other introductions, this is simply a very good book. I loved the wayin which Miller used a 14th century painting ('Allergory of Good & Bad Government' by Lorenzetti) to act as a discussion point for opening up political philosophy becuase it really added flavour to proceedings.
It should be warned, however, that this book is far from comprehensive evenin an 'introduction' sense of the word. Instead of being written with a quick synopsis of all the major discussion, Miller instead opts for a continuous narrative that works through *some* of the major topics of the discipline. Interestingly, Miller's book is not so much an illustration of the debates as it is an argument for his personal conclusions through illustrating these debates. This is not neccessarily a bad thing, though, as it still serves to introudce the reader to the fundamentals & still allows the reader to come to their own opinons. In many ways, it is actually quite nice to see conclusions made for once rather than questions left unanswered as coming to conclusions is also a part of the philosophical discipline.
I have given this book five stars becuase its great, but it should be realised that other, more comprehensive introductions could prove better due to more depth. However, it undoubtedly introduces political philosophyin an excellent manner, especially considering its length (130 or so very small pages). It is, afterall, meant to be a very short introduction & it scores five stars when taken as such.
Life saver - By: Can I have a Pocket Money Raise, 07 Dec 2003 I have always had my doubts about chosing to study political philosophy at university like i did. Although i enjoy the subject, i have never fully understood the principals...until now! David Miller uses great explanations of the ideas behind the subject so that everyone can understand. It is short, but he has used the space well & now i am well on course for a first!
Superb! A must buy for everyone interested in the subject - By: Jamie, 15 Jul 2003 I decided to do political philosophy for my A-levels. my teacher was useless & so i went out to buy this book. It was an excellent introduction to the subject & everything was expressed clearly. David Miller is a superb writer, & obviously very intelligent. This really is a great book for students, children, & adults alike! (I got an Ain my exam by the way)
