{"product_id":"greatest-of-all-plagues-how-economic-inequality-shaped-political-thought-from-plato-to-marx","title":"Greatest of All Plagues: How Economic Inequality Shaped Political Thought from Plato to Marx","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eHow the great political thinkers have persistently warned against the dangers of economic inequality\u003c\/b\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eEconomic inequality is one of the most daunting challenges of our time, with public debate often turning to questions of whether it is an inevitable outcome of economic systems and what, if anything, can be done about it. But why, exactly, should inequality worry us? \u003ci\u003eThe Greatest of All Plagues\u003c\/i\u003e demonstrates that this underlying question has been a central preoccupation of some of the most eminent political thinkers of the Western intellectual tradition. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eDavid Lay Williams shares bold new perspectives on the writings and ideas of Plato, Jesus, Thomas Hobbes, Jean-Jacques Rousseau, Adam Smith, John Stuart Mill, and Karl Marx. He shows how they describe economic inequality as a source of political instability and a corrupter of character and soul, and how they view unchecked inequality as a threat to their most cherished values, such as justice, faith, civic harmony, peace, democracy, and freedom. Williams draws invaluable insights into the societal problems generated by what Plato called \"the greatest of all plagues,\" and examines the solutions employed through the centuries. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eAn eye-opening work of intellectual history, \u003ci\u003eThe Greatest of All Plagues\u003c\/i\u003e recovers a forgotten past for some of the most timeless books in the Western canon, revealing how economic inequality has been a paramount problem throughout the history of political thought.","brand":"David Lay Williams","offers":[{"title":"Hardcover","offer_id":46349752205548,"sku":"9780691171975","price":58.33,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0684\/1791\/3068\/files\/9780691171975.jpg?v=1744168741","url":"https:\/\/allstora.com\/products\/greatest-of-all-plagues-how-economic-inequality-shaped-political-thought-from-plato-to-marx","provider":"Allstora","version":"1.0","type":"link"}