Foundations of Political Thought Essays - 1664 Words

Aristotle and Socrates and Plato’s beliefs have similarities mainly evident in their denouncement of democracy for the state. The views of Socrates expressed and written by his pupil Plato are vastly philosophical in nature and he promotes the idea of questioning life to achieve insight. The philosophers who possess the absolute truth are the best equipped to rule society according to Plato and his Allegory of the Cave. Conversely, Aristotle takes a more political science approach of discussing and analyzing various constitutions to determine the best form of government, where the rational beings in a society are the natural rulers. Aristotle promotes the idea of rule based on law rather than simple superiority. The differences in†¦show more content†¦(Politics, 83) Through this view, Aristotle expresses his distrust of a total democracy that is parallel to the ideas of his mentors. Plato attacks democracy and describes the disbursement of political freedom to the masses as an intoxication of wine, claiming that a democratic city â€Å"gets drunk on too much unmixed freedom† (The Republic, 220). Plato details the filtration of this â€Å"drunkenness† from society disobeying rulers trickling down to the son disrespecting the father and eventually â€Å"equal rights in relations between the sexes† (The Republic, 221). Plato and Aristotle share this skepticism of democracy. The limitation of freedom, liberty, and equality not only with regards to mistrust of democracy but also in terms of denial of citizenship and justification of slavery are commonalities in the teachings of Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle. Plato accepts slavery throughout The Republic, because he often deems whole groups of people unworthy of freedom. Aristotle’s justifies slavery through the characteristic of rationality; he claims that there is a condition of â€Å"natural slavery† where when one being is rational and the other is not, there is a natural master-slave relationship (Politics, 2). â€Å"For if something is capable of rational foresight, it is a natural ruler and master, whereas whatever can use its body to labor is ruled and is a natural slave†Show MoreRelatedThe Unification Of China And Han Dynasty873 Words   |  4 Pagesand Han. There were formed schools of thought called Confucians, Daoists, and Legalists. These school of thoughts worked to bring political and social stability to China during the rule of the late Zhou dynasty which were chaotic years. Legalist principles and imposed centralized imperial rule were adopted by rulers of the Qin and Han dynasties. Political stability was the foundation of economic prosperity for the Han dynasty. There was a search of political and social order, unification of ChinaRead MorePrivacy Rights : Moral And Legal Foundations1584 Words   |  7 Pageshaving undocumented personal knowledge about one possessed by others† (Moore, Privacy Rights: Moral and Legal Foundations). On the other hand, Julie Inness illustrated that privacy is â€Å"the state of possessing control over a realm of intimate decisions, which include decisions about intimate access, intimate information and intimate actions† (Moore, Privacy Rights: Moral and Legal Foundations). Although the definitions vary, the observations and publications regarding privacy indicate that individualsRead MoreEssa y on The Scientific Revolution1098 Words   |  5 Pagesrevolution and the political revolution. All of these revolutions have shaped western thought and ideals to this day and continue even in this age to shape western thoughts and ideals. What brought us to our thinking of today? 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Even though Rousseau provides a decent framework for a direct democracyRead MoreA City Where Black Po wer Won : The Origins Of The Black Panther Party On College Campuses1350 Words   |  6 PagesPower Won: The Origins of the Black Panther Party on College Campuses Paula Deroseney Dr. Carl Suddler AAS 385: Urban History 31 March 2016 The movement of African American migrants out of the South and into northern California laid the foundation for the development of the Black Panther Party (BPP), which served as a voice for the black community. With this new wave of black migrant families into California came a new, younger generation whose Southern roots had not yet been formed. As youngRead MoreThe Theory Of Power And Power1281 Words   |  6 Pagesconclusion that the foundation of socialite is centered around the concept of power. A general explanation for this concept is, â€Å"power simply means the capacity to bring about outcomes†. (Lukes) Another clear definition would be that â€Å"power is about being able to realize wishes, to produce the effects you want to produce†. Though the concept of power is broad and this concept can be broken down such as having different types of power. Some different types of power can be political, economic, and globalRead MoreChinese History Is Rich With Cultur e Conjointly Seasoned1472 Words   |  6 Pageshybridization of Confucian, Daoist, and Buddhist schools of thought. Tracing back the lineage of influence or tracking the evolution of culture is at times an arduous task. Retrospective observance has afforded me a certain clarity in interpreting the past. With that being said, this paper is dedicated to the echoes of the past stipulated by the Confucian Scholar Dong Zhongshu. During the length of the paper I will analyze his thoughts on the mandate of heaven, connection between the state body