Why have Plato's "Republic," Hobbes's "Leviathan," and Marx's "Communist Manifesto" retained their enduring appeal, despite their often wildly implausible assumptions about human motivation and political action? No one is more qualified to answer this question than Britain's most eminent sociologist cum philosopher and historian, Garry Runciman. "Great Books, Bad Arguments" is not only lucid, but like the best detective fiction, keeps the reader guessing until the very end."--Gareth Stedman Jones, King's College, University of Cambridge"Spirited and provocative."--Ian Shapiro, Yale University