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Tony Burns

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Biography

Tony Burns is an Emeritus Professor in the School of Politics and International Relations at the University of Nottingham. He has a First Class BA (Hons) Degree in Philosophy and Politics from the University of Sheffield, a PGCE with Distinction from the University of Huddersfield, and a PhD from Nottingham Trent University.

Expertise Summary

M12070 Modern European Thought

M13061 The Politics of Science Fiction

M14021 The Philosophy of Social Research

Research Summary

The History of Political Thought

The Aristotelian Natural Law Tradition

The Hegel-Marx Connection

Continental Political Thought

Political Theory and Science Fiction

Recent Publications

  • BURNS, T., 2025. ‘Between Sartre and Goffman: Alasdair MacIntyre and Hegel’s Theory of the Self'. In: C. BERNACCHIO, A. FATTAH, D. KRETZ & M. LAZARUS EDS,, ed., Hegel/MacIntyre Routledge. (In Press.)
  • BURNS, T., 2025. 'Aristotle and Law'. In: JOHN LINARELLI, ed., Elgar Concise Encyclopedia of Legal Theory and Philosophy. Edward Elgar. (In Press.)
  • BURNS, T., 2025. ‘The Origins of the Concept of Natural Law in Ancient Greece'. In: MIR AHMAD MURTIZA, NOOR UL HUDA AND HALEEMA SADIA, ed., Law and Morality: Essays on Natural Law Theory and Legal Positivism. (In Press.)
  • BURNS, T., 2025. ‘Marxism and the Concept of a Social Formation’. In: JOKUBAS SALYGA & KAYHAN VALADBAYGI, ed., Mode of Production and the Historiography of Capitalism: Gender, Race and Eurocentrism Bristol University Press. (In Press.)

Past Research

The Aristotelian philosophical and political tradition; the Aristotelian conception of natural law and its impact in the later history of political thought, and especially on the ideology of conservatism; the influence of Aristotle on the ethical and political thought of Hegel and Marx. The political thought of Leo Strauss.

  • BURNS, T., 2025. ‘Between Sartre and Goffman: Alasdair MacIntyre and Hegel’s Theory of the Self'. In: C. BERNACCHIO, A. FATTAH, D. KRETZ & M. LAZARUS EDS,, ed., Hegel/MacIntyre Routledge. (In Press.)
  • BURNS, T., 2025. 'Aristotle and Law'. In: JOHN LINARELLI, ed., Elgar Concise Encyclopedia of Legal Theory and Philosophy. Edward Elgar. (In Press.)
  • BURNS, T., 2025. ‘The Origins of the Concept of Natural Law in Ancient Greece'. In: MIR AHMAD MURTIZA, NOOR UL HUDA AND HALEEMA SADIA, ed., Law and Morality: Essays on Natural Law Theory and Legal Positivism. (In Press.)
  • BURNS, T., 2025. ‘Marxism and the Concept of a Social Formation’. In: JOKUBAS SALYGA & KAYHAN VALADBAYGI, ed., Mode of Production and the Historiography of Capitalism: Gender, Race and Eurocentrism Bristol University Press. (In Press.)
  • BURNS, T., 2025. 'Marxism and the Idea of a Fully Automated Machine Society: Science Fiction Utopia or Dystopian Nightmare?’. In: ANDRIUS BIELSKIS, ed., Technology, AI and Human Flourishing: Automation and Alienation in the Age of Digital Capitalism Bloomsbury Press. (In Press.)
  • BURNS, T., 2024. 'Social Theory and the Politics of Recognition in the Writings of Aristotle'. In: DAVID CARTER and BARBARA GOFF, eds., The Brill Companion to the Legacy of Greek Political Thought Brill. pp. 428-61
  • BURNS, T., 2024. ‘Hegel and International Political Theory’. In: HOWARD WILLIAMS, DAVID BOUCHER, PETER SUTCH AND DAVID REIDY, ed., The Palgrave Handbook of International Political Theory Palgrave. pp. 321-37
  • BURNS, T., 2024. 'Marx and the Concept of a Social Formation,' Historical Materialism: A Journal of Critical Marxist Analysis. 32(3), pp.
  • BURNS, T., 2024. ‘Marx, Automation and the Politics of Recognition Within Social Institutions,' Critique: Journal of Socialist Theory. 97, pp. 357-78
  • BURNS, T., 2024. ‘Max Stirner and G. W. F. Hegel on the “Struggle for Recognition” in Education,’ Revista Internacional de Educación y Análisis Social Crítico/International Journal of Education and Critical Social Analysis. 2(2), pp.
  • BURNS, T., 2023. ‘Ursula K. Le Guin, The Left Hand of Darkness’. In: BRYAN M. SANTIN, ed., The Cambridge Companion to the Twentieth-Century American Novel and Politics Cambridge University Press. pp. 285-96
  • BURNS, T., 2023. ‘Marx’s Capital and the Concept of Super-Exploitation,’ Capital & Class. 48(3), pp. 335-55
  • BURNS, T., 2022. ‘Alasdair MacIntyre on the Division of Goods and “The Corrupting Power of Institutions”,' Frontiers in Sociology. Front. Sociol. 7:986184., pp. 1-13
  • BURNS, T., 2022. ‘Amartya Sen and the Capabilities Versus Happiness Debate: An Aristotelian Perspective.'. In: FLORIANA IRTELLI and FABIO GABRIELLI, eds., Happiness: Biopsychosocial and Anthropological Perspectives InTech Open. pp. 1-19
  • BURNS, T., 2022. 'Marxism and the Concept of a Social Formation: An Immanent Critique of the Views of Jairus Banaji,' Science & Society. 86(1), pp. 38-65
  • BURNS, T., 2022. ‘The Concept of a Social Formation in the Writings of E. P. Thompson and Ellen Meiksins Wood,' Capital & Class. 46(2), pp. 257-77
  • BURNS, T., 2021. ‘St. Augustine and Administration: The Politics of Social Institutions in The City of God,’ The European Legacy: Toward New Paradigms. 26(1), pp. 22-38
  • BURNS, T., 2020. ‘Aristotle and the Politics of Recognition’. In: ANDRIUS BIELSKIS, ELENI LEONTSI & KELVIN KNIGHT, ed., Virtue Ethics and Contemporary Aristotelianism: Modernity, Conflict and Politics Bloomsbury Press. pp. 192-208
  • BURNS, T, 2020. Social Institutions and the Politics of Recognition: Volume 1, From the Ancient Greeks to the Reformation: Studies in Social and Global Justice Rowman & Littlefield.
  • BURNS, T., 2020. Social Institutions and the Politics of Recognition: Volume 2, From the Reformation to the French Revolution: Studies in Social and Global Justice Rowman & Littlefield.
  • BURNS, T., 2019. 'Alasdair MacIntyre, Utopianism and the Politics of Social Institutions,' International Critical Thought. 9(3), pp. 1-16
  • BURNS, T., 2017. 'Aristotle'. In: DAVID BOUCHER and PAUL KELLY, eds., Political Thinkers: From Socrates to the Present. 3rd. rev. ed. Oxford University Press. pp. 84-101
  • BURNS, T., 2017. 'Marx, The Labour Theory of Value and The Transformation Problem,' Capital & Class. 40(1), pp. 1-18
  • BURNS, T., 2016. 'Orwell’s Nineteen Eighty Four as a Critical Dystopia'. In: TOM HORAN, ed., Critical Insights: Nineteen Eighty Four Salem Press. pp. 42-54
  • BURNS, T., 2016. '"Happy Slaves"? The Adaptation Problem and Identity Politics in the Writings of Amartya Sen,' International Journal of Social Economics. 43(12), pp. 1178-93.
  • BURNS, T., 2016. ‘Marxism and Science Fiction: The Case of The Matrix'. In: EWA MAZIERSKA and ALFREDO LUIZ SUPPIA, eds., Red Alert: Marxist Approaches to Science Fiction Cinema Wayne State University Press. pp. 104-31
  • BURNS, T., 2015. 'The Idea of "The Struggle for Recognition" in the Ethical Thought of the Young Marx and its Relevance Today'. In: MICHAEL THOMPSON, ed., Constructing Marx's Ethics: Critique, Normativity, Praxis. Leiden: Brill. pp. 33-58
  • BURNS, T., 2014. 'Hegel and Global Politics: Communitarianism or Cosmopolitanism?,' Journal of International Political Theory. 10(3), pp. 325-44
  • BURNS, T., 2013. 'Hegel, Cosmopolitanism and Contemporary Recognition Theory'. In: BURNS, T and THOMPSON, S., eds., Global Justice and the Politics of Recognition. Palgrave. pp. 64-87
  • BURNS, T., 2013. ‘“The Right to Have Rights”: Slavery, Freedom and Citizenship in the Thought of Aristotle, Hegel and Arendt'. In: GABRIEL R. RICCI, ed., Culture and Civilization, Volume 5. Transaction Publishers. pp. 181-207
  • BURNS, A., 2013. 'Nussbaum, cosmopolitanism and contemporary political problems,' International Journal of Social Economics. 40(7), pp. 648-662
  • BURNS, T. and S. THOMPSON, 2013. 'Introduction: Global Justice and the Politics of Recognition'. In: T. BURNS and S. THOMPSON, eds., Global Justice and the Politics of Recognition Palgrave. pp. 1-22.
  • BURNS, T. and THOMPSON, S., eds., 2013. Global Justice and the Politics of Recognition: Global Political Theory London: Palgrave.
  • BURNS, T., 2012. 'Science, Politics and Utopia in George Orwell’s "Nineteen Eighty-Four"'. In: KEITH BOOKER, ed., Critical Insights: Dystopia Salem Press. pp. 91-108
  • BURNS, T, 2012. 'Alan Brudner and the Contemporary Significance of Hegel's Philosophy of Law,' Jurisprudence. 3(1), pp. 211-18
  • BURNS, T., 2011. ‘Revolutionary Aristotelianism? The Political Thought of Aristotle, Marx and MacIntyre’. In: BLACKLEDGE, PAUL & KNIGHT, KELVIN, ed., Virtue and Politics: Alasdair MacIntyre’s Revolutionary Aristotelianism Notre Dame: Notre Dame University Press. pp. 35-53
  • BURNS, T., 2011. Aristotle and Natural Law Continuum Books.
  • BURNS, T., 2010. 'Strauss on Aristotle and the Idea of a “State of Exception”'. In: BURNS, T. and CONNELLY, J., eds., The Legacy of Leo Strauss. Imprint Academic. pp. 43-66
  • BURNS, T., 2010. 'Aristotelianism'. In: BEVIR, MARK, ed., The Sage Encyclopaedia of Political Theory 1. London: Sage. pp. 71-77
  • BURNS, T and CONNELLY, J., eds., 2010. The Legacy of Leo Strauss. Exeter: Imprint Academic.
  • BURNS, T. and CONNELLY, J., 2010. 'Introduction: Straussian Voices'. In: BURNS, T. and CONNELLY, J., eds., The Legacy of Leo Strauss Imprint Academic. pp. 1-26
  • BURNS, T., 2010. 'Capitalism, Modernity and the Nation State,' Capital & Class. pp. 235-55
  • BURNS, A., 2008. Political theory, science fiction, and utopian literature: Ursula K. Le Guin and The dispossessed Lexington Books.
  • BURNS, T., 2006. 'Hegel, Identity Politics and the Problem of Slavery,' Culture, Theory and Critique. 47(1), pp. 87-104
  • BURNS, T., 2006. 'Review of John Hoffman and Paul Graham, Introduction to Political Theory (London: Pearson Longman, 2006),' British Politics. 1(2), pp. 428-29
  • BURNS, T., 2005. 'Hegel'. In: CARVER, T., ed., Palgrave Advances in Continental Political Thought. Palgrave Macmillan Ltd, Basingstoke, UK. pp. 45-58
  • BURNS, T, 2005. ‘Science and Politics in The Dispossessed: Le Guin and the “Science Wars’’'. In: DAVIS, L. & STILLMAN, P., ed., The New Utopian Politics of Ursula K. Le Guin’s The Dispossessed. Lexington Books. pp. 195-215
  • BURNS, T., 2005. 'Whose Aristotle? Which Marx? Ethics, Law and Justice in Aristotle and in Marx,' Imprints: A Journal of Analytical Socialism. 8(2), pp. 125-155
  • BURNS, T., 2004. 'Marxism and Science Fiction: A Celebration of the Work of Ursula K. Le Guin,' Capital & Class. pp. 139-148
  • BURNS, T., 2003. 'Aristotle'. In: BOUCHER, D., ed., Political Thinkers: From Socrates to the Present Oxford University Press. pp. 73-91
  • BURNS, T., 2003. 'The Tragedy of Slavery: Aristotle's "Rhetoric" and the History of the Concept of Natural Law,' History of Political Thought. 24(1), pp. 16-36
  • BURNS, T., 2002. 'Sophocles' "Antigone" and the History of the Concept of Natural Law,' Political Studies. 50(3), pp. 545-557
  • BURNS, T., 2002. 'Joseph Dietzgen and the history of Marxism,' Science & Society. 66(2), pp. 202-227
  • BURNS, T., 2002. 'Hegel (1770-1831)'. In: Interpreting Modern Political Philosophy from Machiavelli to Marx Palgrave Macmillan Ltd, Basingstoke, UK. pp. 162-79
  • BURNS, T., 2002. 'Dialectic and Enlightenment: A Critical Review of James Daly’s, Deals and Ideals: Two Concepts of Enlightenment,' Fealsunacht. 2, pp. 58-62
  • BURNS, T., 2001. 'Karl Kautsky: Ethics and Marxism'. In: , ed., Marxism's Ethical Thinkers Palgrave Macmillan Ltd, Basingstoke, UK. pp. 15-50.
  • BURNS, T., 2001. 'Recognition Versus Distribution: Three Works on Equality,' Contemporary Politics. 7(4), pp. 319-330
  • BURNS, T., 2000. 'Aquinas's Two Doctrines of Natural Law,' Political Studies. 48(5), pp. 929-946
  • BURNS, T., 2000. 'The Purloined Hegel: Semiology in the Thought of Saussure and Derrida,' History of the Human Sciences. 13(4), pp. 1-24
  • BURNS, T., 2000. 'Marx and Scientific Method: A Non-Metaphysical View'. In: The Hegel-Marx Connection MacMillan Publishers Ltd, London. pp. 79-104
  • BURNS, T., 2000. 'Introduction: An Historical Survey of the Hegel-Marx Connection'. In: The Hegel-Marx Connection MacMillan Publishers Ltd, London. pp. 1-33
  • BURNS, T., 2000. Materialism in Ancient Greek Philosophy and in the Writings of the Young Marx Historical Materialism. 7, pp. 3-40
  • BURNS, T. AND FRASER, I. EDS., 2000. The Hegel-Marx Connection MacMillan Publishers Ltd, London.
  • BURNS, T., 2000. 'Review of Sean Sayers, Marxism and Human Nature,' Radical Philosophy. ISSU 100, p. 64
  • BURNS, T., 2000. 'Review of Gary K. Browning Hegel and the History of Political Philosophy,' Studies in Marxism. 7, pp. 160-161
  • BURNS, T., 2000. Zamyatin's We and Postmodernism,' Utopian Studies. 11(1), pp. 66-90
  • BURNS, T., 2000. 'Review of M. B. Steger and T. Carver eds., Engels after Marx (Pennsylvania State University Press: Pennsylvania, 1999,' Political Studies. 48,(4), p. 833
  • BURNS, T., 1999. The Source of the Encyclopedie Article 'Loi Naturelle (morale)'. In: Grotius, Pufendort and Modern Natural Law Ashgate Publishing Group, Aldershot & London. pp.493-502.
  • BURNS, T., 1999. 'John Gray and the Death of Conservatism,' Contemporary Politics. 5(1), pp. 7-24
  • BURNS, T., 1998. 'Aristotle and Natural Law,' History of Political Thought. 19(2), pp. 142-166
  • BURNS, T., 1998. 'Metaphysics and Politics in Aristotle and Hegel'. In: Contemporary Political Studies 1998 pp. 387-399
  • BURNS, T., 1997. 'Hegel's Interpretation of the Philosophy of Heraclitus: Some Observations'. In: Contemporary Political Studies 1997 pp. 228-239
  • BURNS, T., 1996. Natural Law and Political Ideology in the Philosophy of Hegel Avebury, Aldershot.
  • BURNS, T., 1996. The Theoretical Underpinnings of Chicago Sociology in the 1920s and 30s Sociological Review. VOL 44(NUMBER 3), 474-494
  • BURNS, T., 1995. Hegel and Natural Law Theory Politics. 15(1), pp. 27-32
  • BURNS, T., 1995. 'The Ideological Location of Hegel's Political Thought'. In: Contemporary Political Studies 1995 pp. 1301-1308
  • BURNS, T., 1994. 'Review of S. C. Bosworth, Hegel's Political Philosophy: The Test Case For Constitutional Monarchy (Garland, London and New York, 1991),' Bulletin of the Hegel Society of Great Britain. 30, pp. 64-71
  • BURNS, T., 1986. 'The Sources of the Encyclopedia Article on Justice: A Reply to Professor Thieleman,' Diderot Studies. 22, pp. 27-40
  • BURNS, T., 1984. 'The Source of the Encyclopedie Article "Loi naturelle (morale)",' British Journal for Eighteenth-Century Studies. 7(1), pp. 39-48

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