'The publication of the Collected Works of Ritchie makes available the writings of a pivotal social philosopher who was instrumental in merging Idealism with liberalism, utilitarianism, and evolutionary ideas. Ritchie greatly influenced early 20th-century British welfare thinking in his blend of individualist and communitarian arguments and is now recognized as having constructed a vital bridge between social theory and policy. Peter Nicholson is a leading and highly respected scholar of Idealism and his edition of Ritchie's works will be warmly welcomed by philosophers, political theorists, and historians of ideas.' - Michael Freeden, Professor of Politics, Oxford University

David George Ritchie (1853-1903) was a key figure in the Idealism movement. Influenced by Hegel, Bradley, Toynbee, and above all T. H. Green, his political philosophy was firmly rooted in a concern for practical application. The foundation of his ethics was the ideal of the citizen's social well-being. He aimed to organize the fields of practical philosophy with the principles of Idealism, and in doing so combined his critical philosophy with his interest in modern science, history and Darwinism. In the history of political thought he was an important channel for the development and transfer of Green's ideas into the New Liberalism and socialist thinking.

This collection brings together for the first time all Ritchie's philosophically important works, including a wealth of hard-to-find materials. Together they represent the wide range of his philosophical interests - from the philosophy of history, metaphysics, religion, and evolution, to animal rights, the morality of war, and the philosophy of art. The collection belongs in all serious libraries of philosophy and politics.