| Part I. | Introduction | |
| 1. | The Role of Philosophy in The Federalist | 3 |
| Part II. | The Different Legacies of Locke and Hume | |
| 2. | Hume's Experience and Locke's Reason | 13 |
| Hume on Reason and Experience in Science | |
| Hume vs. Locke on Morality as a Demonstrative Science | |
| Part III. | Theory of Knowledge | |
| 3. | Using Abstract Reason in Morals and Politics | 25 |
| Natural Law and Natural Rights: Publius's Substantive Moral Philosophy | |
| Rationalism in Publius's Theory of Ethical Knowledge | |
| Rationalism in Publius's Theory of Political Knowledge | |
| 4. | Using Experience and History in Politics | 38 |
| Reason Without Rationalism in Politics | |
| Reason, Long Experience, and Short Experience | |
| Experience, History, and Political Science | |
| Part IV. | Philosophy of History | |
| 5. | The Causes of Factions and the Question of Economic Determinism | 55 |
| Factions in Madison's "Philosophy of History" | |
| Was Madison an Economic Determinist? | |
| Madison and Hume on the Method of Supporting a Theory of Factions | |
| Madison's and Hume's Substantive Views on Factions | |
| The Absence of "Opinion" in Madison's Definition of "Faction" | |
| On the Value of Reading Hume and Other Writings of Madison | |
| Madison: No Economic Interpreter of History and No Economic Determinist | |
| Part V. | Psychology | |
| 6. | The Essence of Ideal Man and the Nature of Real Men | 85 |
| Publius's Study of Human Nature: The Empirical Psychological Component | |
| Publius's Study of Human Nature: The A Priori Moral Component | |
| Two Kinds of Analysis | |
| Descriptive vs. Moral Judgment of Men and Their Actions | |
| Realism and Pessimism | |
| Man as a Knave in Politics | |
| Concluding Remarks | |
| 7. | Reason, Passion, and Interest | 102 |
| Reason as a Motive | |
| Passions and Interests as Motives | |
| Bishop Butler on Passion and Interest: A Digression | |
| Passions and Interests as Distinguishable Motives of Factions | |
| Recapitulation | |
| 8. | On the Strength of Different Motives | 113 |
| Reason as a Weak Motive that Impels Few Men | |
| The Passions and Interests of an Individual | |
| The Passions and Interests of a Group | |
| The Theory of Motivation | |
| Part VI. | Theory of Action and Metaphysics | |
| 9. | Motive, Opportunity, and Action: The Principle of Causality at Work | 131 |
| The Motives and Opportunities of Factions | |
| The Necessary and Sufficient Conditions for a Group's Action, for an Individual's Action, and for the Behavior of Other Objects | |
| The Defects of Pure Democracy: The Structure of Madison's Argument | |
| The Advantages of a Republic: The Structure of Madison's Argument | |
| The Motives and Opportunities of Representative Bodies | |
| Motive, Opportunity, and the Principle of Causality | |
| 10. | Combining and Separating Motives and Opportunities | 149 |
| Combining the Motives and Opportunities of a United America | |
| Hamilton on Separating the Motives and Opportunities of Factions | |
| Separation of Powers, Federalism, Checks and Balances: Their Connections with Publius's Theory of Action | |
| Two Ways of Denying Opportunity: Constitutional and Nonconstitutional | |
| Tyranny, Slavery, and Irony | |
| Part VII. | Ethics | |
| 11. | The Nonnaturalistic Ethics of Natural Rights | 175 |
| Part VIII. | A Summary View | |
| 12. | A Philosophical Map of The Federalist | 193 |
| The Role of Normative Moral Philosophy in Publius's Argument | |
| Publius's Theory of Ethical Knowledge and His Theory of Experimental Knowledge | |
| The Main Experimental Theses of The Federalist From a Philosophical Point of View | |
| The Technological Component of The Federalist | |
| The Role of Metaphysics and Theology in The Federalist | |
| 13. | The Federalist and the Declaration of Independence Compared | 208 |
| The Moral Argument of the Declaration and that of The Federalist | |
| Self-evident Truths, True Interests, and the Opportunities of Dictators | |
| Epistemological Dualism and Madison's Concern for the Protection of Natural Rights | |
| Epistemological Dualism and Hamilton's Concern for the Public Good | |
| Final Remarks | |
| Notes | 229 |
| Index | 265 |
