Made by a reader

Western political philosophy in order

Western political thought in the order it was written, from Plato's Republic to Neema Parvini's Applied Elite Theory: 83 books that argue with one another, with my ratings and notes as I go.

By Alex · 83 books

You get your own copy, in this order, to change and track as you read.

This list was made and shared by a Highstreett reader. It is not a Highstreett guide and we have not checked it.

01
The RepublicPlato
The Republic
Plato
Finished. 5.5/10 on first read.
02
Nicomachean EthicsAristotle
Nicomachean Ethics
Aristotle
Finished. 7.2/10 on first read.
03
PoliticsAristotle
Politics
Aristotle
Finished. 8.1/10 on first read.
04
De Re PublicaCicero
De Re Publica
Cicero
Skipped for now: I could only find it in Latin.
05
On the Shortness of LifeSeneca
On the Shortness of Life
Seneca
6/10 on first read. The first half was good.
06
UtopiaThomas More
Utopia
Thomas More
6.5/10. It was alright but not that insightful, though you can see how it was foundational.
07
The PrinceNiccolò Machiavelli
The Prince
Niccolò Machiavelli
6.8/10. A lot better on the first read. As a reread I didn't get anything new out of it, but that could be my fault.
08
Discourses on LivyNiccolò Machiavelli
Discourses on Livy
Niccolò Machiavelli
7.5/10.
09
On the Law of War and PeaceHugo Grotius
On the Law of War and Peace
Hugo Grotius
10
LeviathanThomas Hobbes
Leviathan
Thomas Hobbes
11
Two Treatises of GovernmentJohn Locke
Two Treatises of Government
John Locke
12
An Essay Concerning Human UnderstandingJohn Locke
An Essay Concerning Human Understanding
John Locke
13
Philosophical LettersVoltaire
Philosophical Letters
Voltaire
14
A Treatise of Human NatureDavid Hume
A Treatise of Human Nature
David Hume
15
The Spirit of the LawsMontesquieu
The Spirit of the Laws
Montesquieu
16
Political DiscoursesDavid Hume
Political Discourses
David Hume
17
Discourse on the Origin of InequalityJean-Jacques Rousseau
Discourse on the Origin of Inequality
Jean-Jacques Rousseau
18
CandideVoltaire
Candide
Voltaire
19
The Social ContractJean-Jacques Rousseau
The Social Contract
Jean-Jacques Rousseau
20
Philosophical DictionaryVoltaire
Philosophical Dictionary
Voltaire
21
Common SenseThomas Paine
Common Sense
Thomas Paine
22
The Wealth of NationsAdam Smith
The Wealth of Nations
Adam Smith
23
The Theory of Moral SentimentsAdam Smith
The Theory of Moral Sentiments
Adam Smith
24
Critique of Pure ReasonImmanuel Kant
Critique of Pure Reason
Immanuel Kant
25
Groundwork of the Metaphysics of MoralsImmanuel Kant
Groundwork of the Metaphysics of Morals
Immanuel Kant
26
The Federalist PapersAlexander Hamilton, James Madison and John Jay
The Federalist Papers
Alexander Hamilton, James Madison and John Jay
27
An Introduction to the Principles of Morals and LegislationJeremy Bentham
An Introduction to the Principles of Morals and Legislation
Jeremy Bentham
28
Reflections on the Revolution in FranceEdmund Burke
Reflections on the Revolution in France
Edmund Burke
29
Letters on a Regicide PeaceEdmund Burke
Letters on a Regicide Peace
Edmund Burke
30
Considerations on FranceJoseph de Maistre
Considerations on France
Joseph de Maistre
31
Rights of ManThomas Paine
Rights of Man
Thomas Paine
32
An Essay on the Principle of PopulationThomas Malthus
An Essay on the Principle of Population
Thomas Malthus
33
Phenomenology of SpiritG. W. F. Hegel
Phenomenology of Spirit
G. W. F. Hegel
34
On the Principles of Political Economy and TaxationDavid Ricardo
On the Principles of Political Economy and Taxation
David Ricardo
35
On WarCarl von Clausewitz
On War
Carl von Clausewitz
36
Democracy in AmericaAlexis de Tocqueville
Democracy in America
Alexis de Tocqueville
37
Vindication of the English ConstitutionBenjamin Disraeli
Vindication of the English Constitution
Benjamin Disraeli
38
The National System of Political EconomyFriedrich List
The National System of Political Economy
Friedrich List
39
ConingsbyBenjamin Disraeli
Coningsby
Benjamin Disraeli
40
SybilBenjamin Disraeli
Sybil
Benjamin Disraeli
41
The Communist ManifestoKarl Marx and Friedrich Engels
The Communist Manifesto
Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels
42
What Is Property?Pierre-Joseph Proudhon
What Is Property?
Pierre-Joseph Proudhon
43
On LibertyJohn Stuart Mill
On Liberty
John Stuart Mill
44
UtilitarianismJohn Stuart Mill
Utilitarianism
John Stuart Mill
45
CapitalKarl Marx
Capital
Karl Marx
46
Beyond Good and EvilFriedrich Nietzsche
Beyond Good and Evil
Friedrich Nietzsche
47
On the Genealogy of MoralsFriedrich Nietzsche
On the Genealogy of Morals
Friedrich Nietzsche
48
Principles of EconomicsAlfred Marshall
Principles of Economics
Alfred Marshall
49
The Ruling ClassGaetano Mosca
The Ruling Class
Gaetano Mosca
50
Reflections on ViolenceGeorges Sorel
Reflections on Violence
Georges Sorel
51
The Mind and SocietyVilfredo Pareto
The Mind and Society
Vilfredo Pareto
52
The State and RevolutionVladimir Lenin
The State and Revolution
Vladimir Lenin
53
The Decline of the WestOswald Spengler
The Decline of the West
Oswald Spengler
54
Economy and SocietyMax Weber
Economy and Society
Max Weber
55
Political TheologyCarl Schmitt
Political Theology
Carl Schmitt
★
56
The Crisis of Parliamentary DemocracyCarl Schmitt
The Crisis of Parliamentary Democracy
Carl Schmitt
★
57
The Concept of the PoliticalCarl Schmitt
The Concept of the Political
Carl Schmitt
58
Prison NotebooksAntonio Gramsci
Prison Notebooks
Antonio Gramsci
59
Revolt Against the Modern WorldJulius Evola
Revolt Against the Modern World
Julius Evola
60
The General Theory of Employment, Interest and MoneyJohn Maynard Keynes
The General Theory of Employment, Interest and Money
John Maynard Keynes
61
The Great TransformationKarl Polanyi
The Great Transformation
Karl Polanyi
62
The Managerial RevolutionJames Burnham
The Managerial Revolution
James Burnham
63
The Road to SerfdomF. A. Hayek
The Road to Serfdom
F. A. Hayek
64
On PowerBertrand de Jouvenel
On Power
Bertrand de Jouvenel
65
Human ActionLudwig von Mises
Human Action
Ludwig von Mises
66
The Open Society and Its EnemiesKarl Popper
The Open Society and Its Enemies
Karl Popper
67
The Origins of TotalitarianismHannah Arendt
The Origins of Totalitarianism
Hannah Arendt
68
Men Among the RuinsJulius Evola
Men Among the Ruins
Julius Evola
69
Two Concepts of LibertyIsaiah Berlin
Two Concepts of Liberty
Isaiah Berlin
70
Capitalism and FreedomMilton Friedman
Capitalism and Freedom
Milton Friedman
71
Rationalism in PoliticsMichael Oakeshott
Rationalism in Politics
Michael Oakeshott
72
The Affluent SocietyJohn Kenneth Galbraith
The Affluent Society
John Kenneth Galbraith
73
Simulacra and SimulationJean Baudrillard
Simulacra and Simulation
Jean Baudrillard
74
A Theory of JusticeJohn Rawls
A Theory of Justice
John Rawls
75
Anarchy, State, and UtopiaRobert Nozick
Anarchy, State, and Utopia
Robert Nozick
76
Discipline and PunishMichel Foucault
Discipline and Punish
Michel Foucault
77
The Meaning of ConservatismRoger Scruton
The Meaning of Conservatism
Roger Scruton
78
Why Nations FailDaron Acemoglu and James A. Robinson
Why Nations Fail
Daron Acemoglu and James A. Robinson
79
The Narrow CorridorDaron Acemoglu and James A. Robinson
The Narrow Corridor
Daron Acemoglu and James A. Robinson
80
The Populist DelusionNeema Parvini
The Populist Delusion
Neema Parvini
81
Power and ProgressDaron Acemoglu and Simon Johnson
Power and Progress
Daron Acemoglu and Simon Johnson
82
Capital in the Twenty-First CenturyThomas Piketty
Capital in the Twenty-First Century
Thomas Piketty
83
Applied Elite TheoryNeema Parvini
Applied Elite Theory
Neema Parvini