Introduction to

Political Philosophy

As defined by
AmbroseBierce
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;
Antisthesis The Father
of Cynicism

Politics is also the contest of

moral principles

Political Philosophy

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)

Problems dealt in Political Philosophy

Hu
man
con
flict
Purs
uit
of
pow
er

Best
soci
al
arra
ngemen
ts

Who
sho
uld
gov
ern

Moral
foundat
ions of
legitim
acy,
liberty,
equalit
y,
justice
&
human
rights

Stat
e,
its
natu
re,
purp
ose,
&
limit
s

Dimensions of
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

How are two dimensions related with

each other?

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.

Political Philosophy

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 Science and Political

Philosophy

Political
Science

Political
Philosophy

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

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

Examples: constitutional
issues, voting behavior, the
balance of power, the effect of
judicial review

connects readily with various

branches and sub-disciplines of
philosophy including
philosophy of lawand of
economics

The Problem: Its

Diagnosis and
Prescription

Conflict

Social
status

Religio
n

Gender
class

Source of
political
conflict:
DIFFERENCES
Economic
interes
ts
Race

Conflict

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

St. Thomas
Aquinas

are

like pearls: they

are not produced
without an irritant
(Thomas Spragens)

Conflict

Examples:
Platos philosophy
resulted from
Socrates death
St. Augustines from
the fall of Rome
Machiavellis from
Italys disunity
Hobbess from the
English Civil War

Conflict

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

their texts also transcend

their own times and continue to
irritant; yet

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
politics
Most useful in
helping us
understand the
irritants that
contributed to
political
philosophers
desires to write
texts with
comprehensive
visions

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:

NICCOLO
MACHIAVELLI

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.

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

Jeremy
Bentham

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.

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
Platos justice minding ones own business
Marxs social justice occurs when each person
gives freely of his or her different talents for the
public good and everyones basic needs are
equally provided for
Hobbes justice the social situation in which
states sovereign is obeyed absolutely

Which of these conflicting norms concerning

justice is true or workable in terms of human
needs, talents, and resources?

Political Philosophy and Political

Therapy

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.

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 role
The good of politics
society 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