The Annotated Works of Henry George: A Perplexed Philosopher

Henry George (1839-1897) was a social reformer and economist known for his best-selling book Progress and Poverty (1879). This six-volume edition of The Annotated Works of Henry George includes his major works with new introductions, critical annotations, bibliographical material, and indexing. Volume VI presents A Perplexed Philosopher (1892), a critique of Herbert Spencer's changing views on the land question. George's original text is supplemented by critical annotations and an extensive topical bibliography. The introductory essay by Dr. Joseph Milne provides the cultural and philosophical context for Georges analysis. A Perplexed Philosopher reveals Spencer's inconsistencies and confusions about the land question, and highlights the differences between Georges and other prevailing views in the nineteenth century.

Format: Hardback
Length: 378 pages
Publication date: 15 April 2023
Publisher: Fairleigh Dickinson University Press

Amidst the tumultuous industrial and intellectual landscape of the late 19th century, Henry George emerged as a prominent social reformer and economist. His seminal work, "Progress and Poverty" (1879), vividly depicted the devastating consequences of privileged monopolies and the plight of industrialization, employing a language of passionate indignation. George's reform agenda remains as relevant today as it did during the Gilded Age, and his impassioned prose and profound ideas have inspired a diverse array of figures, including Leo Tolstoy, John Dewey, Sun Yat-Sen, Winston Churchill, and Albert Einstein. This six-volume edition of "The Annotated Works of Henry George" presents all of George's major works for the first time, accompanied by new introductions, critical annotations, extensive bibliographical resources, and comprehensive indexing.

In Volume VI of this series, we encounter "A Perplexed Philosopher" (1892), a devastating critique of Herbert Spencer's evolving perspectives on the land question following his rise to fame as the author of "The Synthetic Philosophy." Spencer's initial masterpiece, "Social Statics" (1850), firmly asserted the equal right of all individuals to the utilization of the earth. However, by the early 1890s, Spencer had recanted this stance in works such as "Justice" (1891) and an abridged version of "Social Statics" (1892). This betrayal of principle incensed George, leading him to pen "A Perplexed Philosopher." In this volume, Georges's original text is complemented by critical annotations and an extensive topical bibliography. A comprehensive index spans across all six volumes in the series.

The introductory essay by Dr. Joseph Milne, titled "Social Evolution and Moral Sophistry," offers a cultural and philosophical framework for George's critical examination of Spencer's tortuous deviation from the principle of equal freedom.

Weight: 667g
Dimension: 230 x 160 x 27 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781683933755