Western Political Thought:

An Introduction
Hamdan Nafiatur Rosyida
Pembabakan Filosofi Politik Yunani

Roman
Empire (until
Hellenistic 4th Century)

Era Socrates
(5-4 BC)

Pre-Socratic
(6-middle 5
BC)
Introduction of Political Thought
Begin where there is an
awareness of the possibility of
attaining alternative political
arrangements from the present
one
Political thought means the
five following things:
Exposition of ideas, values, and proposals for
influencing policy, changing and revising it
drastically for total break and new beginning
Political theory deals with political structure and
institutions like dealing with the theories of the
state, power, legal frameworks, and social sciences
Political philosophy in the normative quest for
what should be rather than what is in a large
macro framework
Is a key component of the discipline of political
science
Comparative studies of different kinds of political
theories originating and expanding with different
civilization
 Distinction between Political Thought, Political
Theory, and Political Philosophy
Political Thought
Description of the political ideas of a
host of political philosophers from
beginning to end
Including description, analysis,
expression, and evaluation of the
philosophies of the philosophers of a
political tradition
Attempts to identify values and
norms, and makes them an
inseparable part of a political trend
Primarily study of the state
Political Theory
Study about the idea of politics of a
philosopher in the age
Studying concept and ideas of
particular thinker
Mode of inquiry: comparative and
explanatory
Political Philosophy
Political thought of a particular
philosopher of a particular age, but
larger than political thought
Subject: to understand the truths
publicly arrived and publicly
demonstrable
Political thought of an age or of a
community

Approach: historical narrative,

descriptive, empirical, operational,
comparative and scientific
Relationship between Political Thought and Political Science

Political thinkers do
not ignore scientific Political Thought:
methodology while represent history
putting forth their of particular era
political philosophy

History is related to
Political science political science,
depends on and helps
political thought in understand
more than way political
phenomena
Framework of Political Thought

Political thought is a
Politics implies Political thought is
about politics or what
political activity thought about politics
is relevant to politics

Politics gives us the account of political

Politics assume
Political thought activities; political thought gives up political
political activities;
obtain data from education; politics is knowledge about the
political thought
politics political conduct, political thought that of the
studies them
theories of political conduct

Politics paves way for

political thought, and
political thought
guides the future:
direction of politics
Western Political Thought: Nature and Content

Philosophy’s
thinking cannot be
separated from Western political
Political thought can
history of his times. A text without a thought is based on
be studied without
No political thinker context is a history. It has grown
politics, but cannot
builds up his structure without and is growing, and
study political
political philosophy base will always keep
without history
without taking an growing
account of the age
or his times
Western Political Thought, Political Idealism,
and Political Realism

Political Thought

Political Idealism (political Political Realism (political

philosophy): Plato science): Aristotle
Significance of Western Political Thought

Major issues of politics: the concern of Significance of western political

political philosophers. So need to find thought: the attempt of the political
solutions to the political issues to give philosophers to identify political
direction and unity of thought issues, provide solutions. Thus giving
processes political thought a meaning and vision
Characteristic Features of the Great Works
of Western Political Thought

Karl Marx can understanding

of a political situation and
giving to the world: new
interpretation. This is the
The works on political theory
importance of Marx than
are not outstanding, but the
any political philosophers.
credit goes to Karl Marx, for
giving new terms and
The works on political theory
definite meaning, and above
are written by political
all: new political thought
philosophers from time to
built on them
time, related to particular
time, yet they are timeless.
Timeless because they are
live in all times, and beyond
their own time
 Relevance of the Western Political Thought
The works of political thought
are outstanding because they
are neither praised nor
denounced
The importance of western
political thought: In teaching
about the past theories, the
theorist is engaged in the task Only music can
of political unitation, awaken the
introducing new generations musical sense in
to the complexities of politics man -Karl Marx-
and the efforts of the theorist
to confront its predicaments -
Sheldon Wolin-
Summary
終
わ
り