Debate on nature of state in Western political thought

There is simply a distinctly agelong and identifiable contented of governmental thought that has been characterised arsenic Western oregon European. Its origins are traced to the Greek philosophers, particularly Plato and Aristotle, whose theorisation happened successful the discourse of the Greek city-state oregon polis, from which the connection authorities itself is derived. Athens, the astir salient Greek city-state, is considered the birthplace of democracy. However, some Plato and Aristotle were wary of its chaotic nature, which was apt to beryllium swayed by the temper swings of a demagogue. 

The contented of governmental mentation was carried guardant by the prolonged and almighty Roman Empire. Many expansive figures of the Roman Empire – statesmen specified arsenic Cicero and Seneca and the Emperor Marcus Aurelius – belonged to the philosophical strategy called Stoicism. They balanced aggravated governmental engagement with a much detached philosophical reflection connected the frenzied quality of governmental life. 

The Roman Empire, which was important for carrying guardant the contented of Western governmental thought, collapsed astir 476 AD. This seismic governmental event is captured by historiographer Edward Gibbon successful his magisterial book, The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire (1776). With the autumn of the Roman Empire, Europe is wide believed to person gone into the acheronian medieval ages – a play traditionally seen arsenic marked by constricted intelligence advancement and a diminution successful large works connected the contented of governmental thought. 

Renaissance, the revival of classical learning

It whitethorn beryllium noted that large canonical works successful the contented of governmental thought thin to beryllium written successful times of large intelligence ferment, alternatively than stagnation. Sometimes, imminent governmental diminution tin stimulate specified intelligence ferment. It is evident successful the information that portion overmuch of medieval Europe saw a diminution successful classical learning, it thrived successful the Arab satellite wherever Greek doctrine was preserved and translated.

This process was encouraged by rulers of the Abbasid dynasty, notably Harun al-Rashid and his lad al-Mamun, who oversaw the flourishing of the instauration successful Baghdad known arsenic the Bait ul Hikmat oregon the House of Wisdom successful the 8th and 9th centuries. 

The Renaissance refers to the revival of classical learning successful aboriginal modern times of the 15th and 16th centuries, particularly successful Northern Italian cities specified arsenic Florence. It picked up the learning of the Greeks via the Arabs. One of the astir important figures associated with the metropolis of Florence, particularly its governmental and diplomatic circles, is Niccolò Machiavelli. He was precise important for the continuing contented of governmental thought. His book, The Prince, falls nether a genre of penning successful governmental thought known arsenic ‘advice to the ruler’.

This genre, which offers pragmatic counsel connected statecraft, includes the enactment of the past Indian thinker and strategist Chanakya, whose publication Arthashastra similarly serves arsenic a reflector for the prince oregon ruler and offers proposal to cleanable the creation of statecraft.

State, ‘march of God connected earth’

From the 17th period onwards, Western governmental thought nether the power of societal declaration mentation acquired a chiseled flavour. Early expressions of this mentation tin beryllium gauged from thinkers specified arsenic Thomas Hobbes and John Locke, who, though astir contemporaries successful the 17th century, brought the constituent of a precise distinctive individualism into governmental thought that enters into an statement oregon a declaration to make a state. In summation to the constituent of distinctive individualism, what 1 notices is simply a heavy reflection connected the origins and quality of the state. 

The authorities is frankincense a precise cardinal diagnostic successful the contented of Western governmental thought, harking backmost to the works of Plato and Aristotle. In his classical publication The Republic, Plato envisioned an perfect state, portion Aristotle’s publication Politics looks astatine the authorities arsenic a koinonia oregon community, which radical subordinate with and which complements and completes the smaller and much galore associations oregon communities below. 

However, successful a societal declaration thinker similar Hobbes, the authorities appears arsenic a deliberately created artifice oregon contrivance, similar a machine, that is capable to deter the dangerously inconvenient lawlessness of his celebrated authorities of nature, wherever beingness is variously described arsenic being, “nasty, brutish and short”. This preoccupation with the authorities is again evident successful the celebrated 19th period German idealist philosopher Hegel who considers 3 levels of the ethical beingness – family, civilian society, and, supra all, the state, which helium famously characterised arsenic the ‘march of God connected earth’. 

Rights and liberty

This brings america to the centrality fixed to rights successful the contented of Western governmental thought arsenic it protects liberty, particularly against the state. The 17th period societal declaration thinker John Locke, successful the involvement of liberty, was anxious to spot restrictions placed upon a perchance overbearing authorities done the safeguard of 3 earthy rights – life, liberty and property. 

The question of state arsenic a cardinal interest is carried guardant successful different celebrated societal declaration thinker Jean Jacques Rousseau. It was champion evoked successful his famously stirring words successful his publication The Social Contract wherever helium notes poignantly: ‘Man is calved free, and everyplace helium is successful chains’.  

The large German idealist philosopher Immanuel Kant, 1 of the astir cardinal figures of Western governmental thought and a philosopher par excellence of the 18th period Enlightenment, carries guardant the thought of autonomy. The Enlightenment itself subsumes the thoughts of philosophers, particularly Hegel, Kant and Marx, and assigns centrality to crushed successful quality progress. 

This wide survey of Western governmental thought culminates with Karl Marx, who carries guardant the philosophical knowing of history. He intimately work the enactment of Hegel and famously inverted his dialectical method to emphasise the materialist and economical ground connected which past advances.

Marx’s philosophical investigation remains indispensable to knowing the capitalist system and its trajectory. Finally, possibly astir importantly and ironically, Marx calls for the withering distant and waning of the authorities – the precise instauration that Western governmental thought discussed and theorised astatine length.

Post Read Questions

What is meant by the Western contented of governmental thought, and wherever does it originate?

How did the Greek city-state (polis) power aboriginal governmental thought?

Why is Athens considered the birthplace of democracy? Why were Plato and Aristotle captious of Athenian democracy?

What are the 3 earthy rights identified by John Locke, and wherefore are they significant?

Why does Marx reason for the ‘withering distant of the state,’ and however does this opposition with earlier governmental thinkers?

(Amir Ali is an Assistant Professor astatine the Centre for Political Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi.)

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