George Grant (1918–1988) has been called Canada’s greatest political philosopher. During his lifetime, he encouraged Canadians to think more deeply about matters of social justice and individual responsibility, writing on subjects as diverse as war, technology, abortion, and Canadian politics. His work continues to this day to stimulate, challenge, and inspire.

Grant’s legacy includes six books, more than two hundred articles, as well as broadcast transcripts, correspondence, and unpublished material. In this, the third volume of the Collected Works of George Grant, editors Arthur Davis and Henry Roper have gathered together Grant’s work from the 1960s, when he was a professor at Hamilton, Ontario’s McMaster University. This is the era when Grant produced his best-known works including Lament for a Nation (1965) and Technology and Empire (1969), both of which are included in this volume. The 1960s also allowed Grant to comment on some of the massive cultural shifts that were taking place at the time and on major events like the war in Vietnam.

As with the previous volumes in the Collected Works, the text is fully annotated and includes an introduction to the period it covers. The series as a whole strives to make evident the pattern of Grant’s thought, but also invites a reconsideration of the nature and significance of his work. His collected writings are a valuable contribution to Canadian political thought and intellectual history.

Arthur Davis is an associate professor in the School of Social Sciences at York University.

Arthur Davis' profile page

Henry Roper is a retired professor and former director of the King's Foundation Year Programme at the University of King's College.

Henry Roper Roper's profile page