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Book No. – 52 (Political Science)
Book Name – Political Philosophy (Richard G. Stevens)
What’s Inside the Chapter? (After Subscription)
1. Ancient Political Philosophy
2. Medieval Political Philosophy
3. Political Philosophy and Islam
3.1. Al-Farabi
3.2. Averroës
4. Political Philosophy and Judaism
4.1. Moses Maimonides
5. Political Philosophy and Christianity
5.1. St. Thomas Aquinas
5.2. Marsilius of Padua
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Ancient and Medieval Political Philosophy
Chapter – 7
Table of Contents
- The word “history” is derived from the Latin historia, which in turn comes from the Greek ἱστορία (historia), meaning a narrative of “the things.”
- History is not the things themselves, but a narrative or inquiry into events that have already happened.
- Prior to the eighteenth century, there was no rational system to the sequence of events, and the sequence was not seen as discernible (except possibly by divine providence).
- History became reified, seen as a thing itself, a process, leading to the concept of the Philosophy of History, as seen in Hegel’s work.
- Hegel viewed history as a rational process, where historical events unfold logically.
- The idea of a “historical process” in philosophy can be problematic because it might imply that philosophy follows a linear evolution, which may mislead us.
- Philosophy deals with general propositions and universal truths, while history is concerned with particulars—proper names, dates, and events.
- History provides examples that might illustrate universal principles (e.g., successful cavalry tactics), but the events themselves don’t necessarily uncover those principles.
- The idea of historical inevitability leads to fatalism—the belief that events are destined to occur in a certain way, which is a kind of intellectual impotence.
- Some modern views like futurology believe history can predict the future, yet this leads to a fatalistic worldview, where we cannot influence the outcomes of historical events.
- This belief in historical inevitability risks turning life into a sequence of trivialities (e.g., the “lifestyle” concept from the 1960s).
- Philosophers like Plato and Socrates are sometimes viewed as products of their culture, reducing their thinking to mere reflections of societal trends.
- In contrast, we must take philosophers like Plato seriously, as their work transcends their culture. They were not mere puppets of their times, but critical thinkers addressing the issues of their time.
- Modern thought, influenced by figures like Marx, suggests that philosophy is not possible—it’s simply a reflection of the material conditions of the time.
- Hegelian and Marxist influences can still shape modern thought, even for those unfamiliar with these figures’ actual writings.
- The Strauss-Cropsey History of Political Philosophy rejects the view that thinkers are mere products of their time, asserting that philosophers must be taken seriously as individuals who rise above their cultures.
- Hobbes is often misinterpreted as part of the natural law tradition, but he actually originated the modern notion of natural rights, distinguishing them from natural law.
- Another mistake is seeing Hobbes as a devout Christian based on his biblical references, while his work suggests a more complex stance that could even be seen as atheistic.
- Political philosophy should be approached with skepticism, not assuming that later thinkers are wiser than those who came before.
- We need to understand the cultural context of a philosopher’s work, but not dismiss their thought as merely a product of that context.
- Philosophers should be seen as critics of their times, challenging and engaging with the issues around them rather than being puppets of the culture.
- History of political philosophy traditionally divides into ancient, medieval, and modern eras, with a fourth category of postmodern emerging.
- The purpose of studying these eras is not to fall into the trap of seeing thinkers as mere products of their times, but to understand how each thinker confronted and critiqued their era’s ideas.
Ancient Political Philosophy
- The origin of political philosophy is in the person of Socrates, who started as a natural philosopher before turning to political philosophy due to the threat posed by political life to philosophy.
- Political philosophy can be seen as philosophy in self-defense against political life.
- The earliest philosophers were remarkable for their intrepidity and originality.
- True understanding of philosophy often requires engaging with the first practitioners before philosophy became complex and academic.
- Many contemporary philosophers are compared to impostors who pursue philosophy for honor and appearances rather than substance, as seen in Plato’s Republic.
- In Republic, Socrates describes impostors as a “little, bald-headed worker in bronze” aiming for appearances rather than true substance.
- Genuine philosophers should be kings, a notion defended by Socrates in the Republic.
- The classics (often dismissed as the works of “dead, white males”) are crucial because of their freshness in breaking new ground.
- Later works in philosophy can often be seen as mere footnotes to the original classics.
- Key works of Plato for political philosophy include:
- Republic, Laws, and Statesman.
- Euthyphro, Apology, Crito, and Phaedo (Socrates’ trial and death).
- Gorgias (public rhetoric), Phaedrus (private rhetoric), and Symposium (eros).
- Ion (the quarrel between philosophy and poetry) and Laches (on generalship).
- Two essential historians for understanding political philosophy are Herodotus (on Persian Wars) and Thucydides (on Peloponnesian War).
- Xenophon’s important works complement Plato, including:
- Cyropaedia (Education of Cyrus), Memorabilia, Apology, Symposium, and Hiero.
- Aristotle rivals Plato in his comprehensive reach, covering metaphysics, physics, ethics, and politics.
- Key works of Aristotle for political philosophy include Rhetoric, Nicomachean Ethics, and Politics.
- Understanding modern literature often requires knowledge of sources like the Bible and Shakespeare.
- Similarly, understanding classical political philosophers requires familiarity with poetic sources such as Aesop’s Fables, Homer’s Iliad and Odyssey, and Hesiod’s Theogony and Works and Days.
- Aristophanes’ comedies are important for understanding classical political philosophy, especially The Clouds(preparing for Plato’s Apology of Socrates) and Ecclesiazusae (preparing for Republic).
- Cicero (106–43 BC) is a crucial Latin author for political philosophy.
- Cicero’s works, especially De Re Publica, De Legibus, and De Officiis, are important for understanding his contributions to political philosophy.
- Cicero’s body of work is vast, with his writings in political philosophy surpassing both Plato and Aristotle in quantity.
- To grasp classical political philosophy fully, one might need to read extensive commentaries, such as the Oxford Classical Dictionary and Everyman’s Classical Atlas.