Introduction to Western Political Thought
Created Time: October 5, 2020 9:56 PM Database: Evergreen Database Is Reference for: What Shoul Last Edited Time: September 8, 2021 12:13 AM Type: Permanent Notes URL: https://learn.saylor.org/course/view.php?id=47
What Should a State Be Scholarly Perspectives
X. Course Intro
Political Thought questions
- How should we be governed?
- Why are certain political system, classes, or governments more legitimate than others
- The legitimacy of Western Philosophers’ perspectives such as Plato, Machiavelli, and Rousseau on political thoughts
XI. Definition of Key Words
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Politics describes the use of power and the distribution of resources
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Political theory is the study of the concepts and principles people use to describe, explain, and evaluate political events and institutions.
- Classic political theory
- Modern political theory
- Contemporary political theory
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Political science is the academic discipline concerned with the study of the state, government, and politics
The Study of States
- Aristotle
Unit 1 The Polis
- Polis City State
Platonic City-State
Plato ’s Republic: ‘What is an ideal Polis?’
His ideal city state mirrors The Theory of Forms that
A man’s place in society should be determined by his natural abilities or talents.
- Competition against one-self
Aristotelian City-State
Aristotle was student of Plato
Man is by nature political animal
The natural order between individuals and the community is determined by
- Power Struggle
- Distribution of Resources
- Individuals competing against each other
Unit 2: Modern Political Thought
- Pragmatic is dealing with problems realistically and logically rather than emotionally or theoretically
- Obligation is the responsibility or duty of one to provide to another.
- Secular is a state that isn’t connected in any way with religion or the church.
Niccolò Machiavelli
State should be artificial in which pragmatic leaders uses methodic and calculated way to rule
It evolved into “best rulers governed shrewdly, carefully calculating about enemies, populations, and the timing of certain actions.”
Thomas Hobbes
He adapted Niccolò Machiavelli’s’ for a much larger scale
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States would be sovereign and secular
the citizens should give up both their allegiance to the church and their rights in exchange for physical security
John Locke
He wanted a constitutional government where civil issues could be resolved in civil ways with help from the government.
- He advocated The Separation of Power
- Legislative Branch
- Executive Branch
- Judiciary Branch
- He thought revolution is a right and obligation from the government to citizens
Unit 3: Liberal Democracy and Its Critics
- Egalitarian is believing that all people should have equal rights and opportunities
Discussion
- The conceptualization of political and social equality.
- How political thought shifted away from the importance of sovereignty and elites.
Jean-Jacques Rousseau
Participatory democracy hold an egalitarian approach that the people should be directly involved in the operation and elections in the political/governance system.