Introduction

Abstract

This chapter provides an introduction to the work as a whole. The first part begins by comparing the investigation of the endless variety of peoples with the stable number of regime types as discussed in Nietzsche’s Thus Spoke Zarathustra. It then briefly addresses the question of why regime analysis, so prominent among the Greeks, has fallen into disrepute today. The first part ends by suggesting that there is something wrong, not only with our understanding of political fundamentals, but also with our understanding of civic education. As a whole, the book aims to provide an inquiry into the history of political philosophy by way of the theme of education. The second part of the chapter introduces the reader to the structure of the work. Each paragraph is dedicated to a single chapter, each of which is dedicated to the relationship between a particular political philosopher’s broad teaching on the best political order and that political philosopher’s teaching on education.