Why should some have the right to political power? What would happen without government? How much power should the state have? This is the ideal introduction to political philosophy, combining clarity and a conversational style with a thought provoking account of the central questions in political philosophy. Wolff explores the subject through a series of enduring and timeless questions, jumping centuries and millennia to explore the most influential answers and demonstrate the relevance of political philosophy for an understanding of contemporary issues. The eagerly anticipated new edition has been updated to include the on-going developments in theorising about race, sexual orientation, disabilitu, multiculturalism and global justice.