An Inquiry Concerning Political Justice and its influences on morals and Happiness
Author: William Godwin
Intro: Vol1 & 2
Godwin began thinking about Political Justice in 1791, after the publication of Thomas Paine's Rights of Man in response to Edmund Burke's Reflections on the Revolution in France (1790).
However, unlike most of the works that Burke's work spawned in the ensuing Revolution Controversy, Godwin's did not address the specific political events of the day; it addressed the underlying philosophical principles.
Its length and expense (it cost over £1) made it inaccessible to the popular audience of the Rights of Man and probably protected Godwin from the persecution that other writers such as Paine experienced.
Nevertheless, Godwin became a revered figure among radicals and was seen as an intellectual leader among their groups.
One way in which this happened is through the many unauthorized copies of the text, the extracts printed by radical journals, and the lectures John Thelwall gave based on its ideas.
Godwin’s best known work of political theory.
Written in the early years of the French Revolution before the Terror had begun, Godwin provides a devastating critique of unjust government institutions and optimistically proposes that individuals not the state can best provide for their needs.
He believed that political change could best be brought about gradually and as a result of free discussion in small communities.
