Political Theory Flashcards
“man is by nature a political animal.”
Aristotle (384-322 B.C.)
believed in the continuity between moral character and political interests
Emphasis on familial piety
Confuciius
politics as well as morality to be based on knowledge
engaging in politics requires much specialised training, and that only an educated and morally accomplished elite could achieve political competence.
Plato (427-347 B.C.)
A statesman should only be concerned with being powerful, not with being kind or good
Niccolo Machiavelli (1469-1527)
the best and most sustainable way for human beings to live together was in small communities with a minimum of political interference
Laozi
believed the noble savage to be superior to humans formed by civilisation.
general will could best be addressed in a system of direct (rather than representative) democracy. However, X was pessimistic about the chances of implementing such an arrangement in society: “Were there a people of gods, their government would be democratic. So perfect a government is not for men.”
Jean-Jacques Rousseau (1712-78)
argued that only in a political state would private property be protected
was a political voluntarist, stating that a government can only have powers over a person who tacitly or expressedly consents
defended a doctrine of natural rights and a conception of political authority as limited and conditional on the ruler’s fulfillment of his obligation to serve the public good.
John Locke (1632-1704)
believed that political power could be legitimately acquired by force as well as by consent. This conviction was based on the assumption that, due to human beings’ innate selfishness, a state of nature would be marked by “war of everyone against everyone.” It is therefore rational to accept the dominance of a powerful political leader, a leviathan, who can protect his subjects and uphold the law.
Thomas Hobbes (1588-1679)
“Society has been set in motion, and daily leads people further towards equality of conditions.” However, he also observes: “what repels me most about America is how little concern there is about tyranny.”
Alexis de Tocqueville (1805-59),
how the autonomous space of the individual might be safeguarded from the domination of the majority.
John Stuart Mill (1806-73)
argues that in a hypothetical situation of equality and ignorance of their individual social positions and preferences, people discussing the organisation of their society would agree on three fundamental principles: the greatest possible extent of certain civil liberties for all; equality of opportunity for all; and provision for the least advantaged members of society.
John Rawls (1921-2002)
argued in favour of a minimal state, restricted to the defence of the individual against force: On the basis of self-ownership, X argues that individuals have rights not to suffer aggression, and not to have to do anything for themselves or others. He therefore regards taxation for the purpose of redistribution as ‘forced labour’.
Robert Nozick (1938-2002)
“the father of history,
Herodotus, c. 484 - c. 424
(1) human wisdom begins with the recognition of one’s own ignorance; (2) the unexamined life is not worth living; (3) ethical virtue is the only thing that matters; and (4) a good person can never be harmed, because whatever misfortune he may suffer, his virtue will remain intact.
Socrates
