James Madison's Political Philosophy, by Professor William Allen

James Madison's Political Philosophy, by Professor William B. Allen. This short video analyzes the elaborate intellectual foundation for James Madison’s political philosophy. The concept of the extended republic is the cornerstone of that philosophy, but Madison realized that additional structural safeguards were necessary precautions against unjust majority rule. Professor William B. Allen asserts that since Madison believed that the end of civil society was justice, his greatest challenge was to create a structure that would give expression to justice.

Professor William B. Allen is an emeritus professor Political Philosophy and the former Dean of the James Madison College at Michigan State University. He was a member of the National Council on the Humanities 1984–87, and Chairman of the United States Commission on Civil Rights from 1988 to 1989.