Introduction to Political Philosophy

“a strife of interest

masquerading as a contest of principles”

He speaks for the cynics But in politics, we cannot avoid

questions of truth or falsity, good or bad.

He is partly wrong; Politics is also the contest of

moral principles

As defined by Ambrose Bierce…

Antisthesis – The Father of Cynicism

It is the serious search for comprehensive knowledge or wisdom about political things.

Political philosophy can be defined as philosophical reflection on how best to arrange our collective life - our political institutions and our social practices, such as our economic system and our pattern of family life.  (David Miller)

Political Philosophy

Pursuit of

power

Best social arrang

e-ments

Human conflict

Who should govern

Moral foundations

of legitimacy,

liberty, equality, justice &

human rights

State, its

nature, purpos

e, & limits

Problems dealt in Political Philosophy

Descriptive dimension

The aspect of philosophy that describe how things are

The six issues require a comprehensive knowledge of the facts about human nature and human social relationships

Dimensions of Political Philosophy

Prescriptive or normative dimension

The aspect of political philosophy that prescribes how things ought to be

The need of knowledge concerning principles of evaluation that enable us to construct and apply a standard to judge politics

Dimensions of Political Philosophy

The facts that we identify as worth

describing in the human condition profoundly affect our evaluations and prescriptions

What we establish as a sound basis for prescription leads us to focus on certain facts concerning the human condition.

How are two dimensions related with each other?

It begins with the assumption that such

public questions as obedience to the law, the best possible government, or the justice of public policies are in need of justification.

It is possible only in world where ends collide. – Sir Isaiah Berlin

It is an attempt to truly know both the nature of political things and the right to the good political order. – Leo Strauss

Political Philosophy

Political Science

predominantly deals with existing states of affairs, and insofar as it is possible to be amoral in its descriptions, it seeks a positive analysis of

social affairs 

Examples: constitutional issues, voting behavior, the

balance of power, the effect of judicial review

Political Philosophy

generates visions of the good social life: of what ought to be

the ruling set of values and institutions that combine men

and women together

connects readily with various branches and sub-disciplines of

philosophy including philosophy of law and of

economics

Political Science and Political Philosophy

The Problem: Its Diagnosis and Prescription

Conflict

Source of political conflict:

DIFFERENCES

Religion

Gender class

Eco-nomic interes

ts

Race

Social status

Edmund Burke:

“the bulk of mankind are not excessively curious concerning any theories whilst they are really happy; and one symptom of an ill-conducted state is the propensity of the people to resort to them.”

Conflict

Many of the great or epic

political philosophers have pursued their inquiries as a result of profound social conflict and decay .

Their political philosophies and comprehensive visions…

“are like pearls: they are not produced without an irritant” (Thomas Spragens)

Conflict

St. Thomas Aquinas

Conflict

Examples: Plato’s philosophy

resulted from Socrates’ death

St. Augustine’s from the fall of Rome

Machiavelli’s from Italy’s disunity

Hobbes’s from the English Civil War

Contemporary political philosophies have

resulted from: The Nazi Holocaust Crisis of liberal democracy Emergence of bureaucratic state Globalization Gender inequality Political correctness Nuclear proliferation Terrorism Various threats to individual liberty

Conflict

Political philosophies of the past

emerged as a result of particular historical

irritant; yet their texts also transcend their own times and continue to challenge contemporary political thinkers and partisans to consider the richness of their alternative teachings as part of our contemporary dialogues about our own problems.

Conflict

Philosophical approach to

politics

Helps us to seek knowledge of the real complexity of

human needs, aspirations, and

relationships

Historical approach to

politicsMost useful in

helping us understand the “irritants” that contributed to

political philosophers’

desires to write texts with

comprehensive visions

Conflict

Philosophy and Diagnosis

Political philosophers provide a comprehensive vision of the political when they raise questions and provide (often tentative) answers about the most important factors that cause: conflict disorder corruption violence terrorism exploitation and revolution

Philosophy and Diagnosis

For example: Hobbes examines human

passions Plato on differences as the

basis for justice Machiavelli focuses on human

deception and its relevance to successful political leadership

Marx addresses the role that economic inequality and class conflict play in forming political system.

NICCOLO MACHIAVELLI

Philosophy and Diagnosis

Political philosophers are not satisfied in simply describing public disorder or discontent; They seek to diagnose the causes of human

conflict

Thomas Spargens puts it: “the causal analysis which a political theorist

provides in his examination of the sources of political disorder decisively shapes his prescriptive conclusion. Sound diagnoses must precede beneficial therapy.”

Political Philosophy and Political Therapy

The political philosopher offers his or her prescription or therapy by identifying appropriate norms or standards, which help to resolve or diminish human social conflicts, thereby creating a better political order.Jeremy

Bentham

Political Philosophy and Political Therapy

Some questions raise by philosophers:1. Which is the best form of government?2. Are there proper limits to freedom?3. What type of equality should be the basis of

public policies – equal rights, equal opportunities, equal results?

4. What should be basis for just treatment of individuals or groups?

5. If the best form is not achievable, what is the most workable or best possible form under particular conditions?

Political Philosophy and Political Therapy

There are conflicting norms among political philosophers like Plato’s “justice” – minding one’s own business Marx’s social “justice” – occurs when each

person gives freely of his or her different talents for the public good and everyone’s basic needs are equally provided for

Hobbes’ “justice” – the social situation in which state’s sovereign is obeyed absolutely

Which of these conflicting norms concerning justice is true or workable in terms of human needs, talents, and resources?

To Leo Strauss:

Human beings will never create a society free of contradictions – perhaps even including contradictory norms

When we read philosophers and their different and conflicting norms, we are invited to reflect upon the norms we hold, or to discuss with others whether we should accommodate, tolerate, integrate, or reject these norms in our own imperfect public life.

Political Philosophy and Political Therapy

In Summary

Political philosophy has factual (descriptive), diagnostic (causal), and evaluative (prescriptive) dimensions

The major questions

Any political thinker is open to the possibility of truth regarding:

Wisdom about

nature of the

cosmos

Human nature and its relation to the

cosmos

The good society

The role of politics in human

life

The major questions

What is the ultimate reality? Is it spirit of matter? Is the universe ordered or chaotic? Does God or gods exist? Is life random or providentially guided? Is the universe inclined toward the good and the just,

as St. Thomas claims or is it devoid of objective moral purpose, as Nietzsche claims?

Can we know the answers or tentative answers to these questions? If so, how? By empirical evidence? By reason? By faith and divine revelation?

The major questions

Is the universe inclined toward good and the just, as St. Thomas Aquinas claims, or is it devoid of objective moral purpose, as Nietzsche claims?

Can we know the answers or tentative answers to these questions?

If so, how? By empirical evidence? By reason? By faith and divine revelation?

End