The natural law theory is the point at the crossing between morals and laws. It can be argued that the Declaration of Independence of 1776, which states, “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness,” has conveyed the natural law theory in its finest. The Declaration of Independence puts it, “We hold these truths to be … Read more
Why do people struggle when it comes to our political system? Why is it so confusing to some and basically second nature to others? Why do some people feel strongly towards the government while others prefer a more individualistic approach? The dilemma of how we think about our political system is not a new problem. … Read more
Thomas Hobbes’ Leviathan and Plato’s Republic are two of the most significant works discussing the nature of rule and justice. They both introduce a necessary notion of an absolute monarch that presides over a commonwealth. Plato’s philosopher king is appointed to reign over his imaginary Kallipolis, while a Leviathan comes to the rescue of the … Read more
In this essay, I will refute the statement that there is natural duty to obey the law even in reasonably decent democratic societies in order to rescue others from the dangerous conditions of the state of nature. To do this, I will explore a world in which there is a natural duty to obey the … Read more
When discussing political theory and political ideology, it appears that you cannot have one without the other. To truly understand these terms lets first take a look at the definition of them. Political theory refers to ideas of all political thinkers, may they be old or new, concerning any aspect of the government. Political ideology … Read more
Good and bad princes are typically easily distinguishable, regardless of the time period from which they rule. For today’s rulers, we tend to gravitate towards leaders that we like or leaders who are popular. Standards for rulers have changed over time, but in the middle ages rulers were judged by a very strict set of … Read more
“To make Covenant with bruit Beasts, is impossible; because not understanding our speech, they understand not, nor accept of any translation of Right; nor can translate any Right to another; and without mutual acceptation, there is no Covenant. ” This insightful observation was made by Thomas Hobbes a 17th Century English philosopher was the first … Read more
John Rawls was neo-kantian and a political thinker of the 20th Century. John Rawls believes justice as fairness to society. Some of society seen justice as an unfairness act but, could not really explain why they may feel justice is unfair. John Rawls helped explain what unfairness may mean to society and that’s subjectivity of … Read more
In chapter seven, Nozick introduces and defends what he calls the entitlement theory. The theory is about distributive justice. It states that it is possible for the people to acquire some permanent full owned rights in some parts of the world (Nozick 151). The idea presented is that from the fact that one has the … Read more
From the very beginning of the book, Rousseau rejects the idea that any political authority is found in nature but rather the only natural authority is that of a father over their children. This only exists for the preservation of the child. This is consistent with the words of Hobbes who also say the relationship … Read more
. Consequently, he would have to burden his people by incrementing taxes and taking away resources. This in turn would make him a miser to the eyes of his people rather than generous. “This will begin to make him [the prince] hateful to his subjects… as a consequence of his generosity, having offended many and … Read more
The question of agency is one which is particularly loaded, not because its definition lacks of clarity, but rather because it is not a notion which can be simplified into arguing whether or not a character has agency. More often than not, a character is not entirely free to make whatever decision and act however … Read more
Human actions are what define the world and how other people act. The cause and effect of actions revolve mostly around how people treat each other. Lao-Tzu largely focuses on how a leader treats his people in “Thoughts from the Tao-te Ching”. He encourages those in power to not force anything in their actions but … Read more
How, if at all, does Euripides’ Bacchae confirm and/or challenge the identity of the Athenian male citizen? Euripides was not averse to challenging the Athenian population to re-evaluate themselves on any number of levels. The Bacchae of course is no exception as Euripides toys with gender and citizen identity. This identity of the citizen is … Read more
What exactly is freedom? Is it the ability to think for yourself, to speak without the fear of consequences, to be able to vote in federal elections or is it something much more? Ambrose Flask attempts to unravel the true meaning of freedom in his short story “The Strangers That Came to Town. ” This … Read more
Is Government Good or Bad? “In Discussion: Lao-Tzu and Machiavelli’s view on Government” “The Master leads by emptying people’s mind and filling their cores, by weakening their ambition and toughening their resolve. He helps people lose everything they know, everything they desire, and creates confusion in those who think that they know. ” (Page 19). … Read more