Starting with a chapter centered on Plato, but also discussing the pre-Socratics as well as Aristotle, this book moves to social contract theory as discussed by Hobbes, Locke, and Hume, and then continues with chapters on Kant, Hegel, and Nietzsche.

Editor's Preface vii Acknowledgments xi Part One Lectures 1 Chapter 1 Plato and His Predecessors 3 Chapter 2 Hobbes 65 Chapter 3 Locke on Property and Political Obligation 103 Chapter 4 Hume's Critique of Locke on Contract 120 Chapter 5 Kant's Ethics 138 Chapter 6 Hegel: Minds, Masters, and Slaves 183 Chapter 7 Nietzsche 201 Part Two Papers 245 Chapter 8 Bourgeois and Proletarians 247 Chapter 9 T he Workers and the Word: Why Marx Had the Right to Think He Was Right 268 Chapter 10 R eply to Elster on "Marxism, Functionalism, and Game Theory" 284 Chapter 11 Review of Karl Marx, by Allen W. Wood 298 Chapter 12 Reason, Humanity, and the Moral Law 305 Part Three Memoir 325 Chapter 13 G. A. Cohen: A Memoir, Jonathan Wolff 327 Works Cited 345 Index 355

"What this collection provides ... is a very idiosyncratic tour of the history of moral and political philosophy. The tour is very selective as to where it stops, and when it does stop it is equally selective in the sights it shows. And so it's not a tour I'd recommend to a complete newcomer to the area. But for the experienced traveler in this intellectual terrain, the sights on the tour are, almost without exception, well worth the extended stop provided."--Peter Stone, Marx and Philosophy Review of Books "Wolff's closing intellectual biography is, as I mentioned above, excellent. It provides an overview of the rest of Cohen's work that is useful and interesting even to those already familiar with it."--Clare Chambers, Philosophical Quarterly

"This collection of lectures—erudite, demanding, and precise, yet funny and accessible—captures Jerry Cohen's inimitable voice and sparkling brilliance. Whether discussing Plato, Locke, Marx, or Nietzsche, Cohen guides the reader through the historical context while rejuvenating its urgency by interweaving modern political concepts. Cohen's rare approach—combining charitable interpretation, intellectual honesty, analytical clarity, and a love of teaching—exemplifies how to treat historical texts as contemporary interlocutors."—Seana Shiffrin, UCLA School of Law"These essays demonstrate brilliantly Cohen's intellectual commitment to going naked into the debating chamber. Arguments are broken down, reconstructed, analyzed, and evaluated with such perspicuity that readers can pinpoint precisely where their own judgments diverge from Cohen's, while being challenged to match his standards in responding. It is a measure of the sharpness of Cohen's intellect that even the essay on Nietzsche, where his knowledge is most limited, offers insights and arguments of real merit."—David Owen, University of Southampton"Jerry Cohen prepared his lectures with the same meticulous care as his published writing. This collection shows him engaging with some of the greatest thinkers of the past, scrutinizing their ideas and doing his best to formulate them to match his own high standards of clarity and precision. Those meeting Cohen here for the first time will encounter his unique voice: unrelenting in its pursuit of an argument but never petty or pedantic. It is a book from which we can all learn."—Michael Rosen, Harvard University