Posted by
Tim Blessing on Saturday, June 07, 2008 5:45:05 PM
The Philosophy of Politics.
This will be an ongoing project based on all the great thinkers of Political Philosophy.
This will parallel my ongoing analysis of current issues.
This will include such fundamental concepts of democracy, the Rule of Law, Justice, Natural Rights, Sovereignty, Citizenship, Power, the State, Revolution, Liberty, Reason, Materialism, Toleration, and the Place of Religion in Society.
It will start and go forward from the Greeks, to Hellenism and Roman Stoicism, Rome, Early Christianity, Medieval Life and Thought, The Two Realms: The Last Phase, The Renaissance, The Reformation, The Right of Resistance, Sovereignty and Divine Right, Hobbes and Spinoza, The Development of Constitutionalism, Vico and Hume, and French Thought in the late 17th Century and 18th Centuries.
It will include such essential forces as Revolution, Romanticism, Marxism, Anarchy, Utilitarianism, Theology, Idealism, and Nationalism.
The second phase will start in the 18th Century and move forward.
The basis for this approach is 2 books that are entitled: The Great Political Theories Volume 1 and The Great Political Theories Volume 2.
These 2 books are compiled and commentary by Michael Curtis.
Political Philosophy makes use of and contains analytical, descriptive and historical material, but it subordinates these to philosophical or ethical considerations.
The recurring problems of political philosophy are those concerning the nature of society, law, obligation, rights, duties, command, responsibility and obedience. In modern theory, there has been a preoccupation with sovereignty, power, influence, and groups.
This examination of political philosophy may take awhile, but it is an exercise in restarting politics.
In essence, the issue of political philosophy has been on the backburner since Reagan's time and I hope to bring it back to its roots.