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Political Philosophy And The Role It Plays Today

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WESTERN POLITICAL THOUGHT

What is Political Philosophy?

And the Role it Plays Today

Savannah Dye

9/17/2015

“Political philosophy” and “political theory” are versatile, yet relative terms. Ironically, the most unifying aspect of both definitions is their fluidity. One of the only things that theorists concur on is the purpose of a political theory, which is to incite change to a certain degree. The intention of political theorists and political philosophers alike is to unveil the deeper problems in our world, and to emphasize the importance of contemplation as a catalyst for rectification. George H. Sabine indirectly defines political philosophy as “a study of the nature and well-being of civic societies…” Sabine explains …show more content…

Second, “it contains statements of what may be roughly called a causal nature, to the effect that one kind of thing is more likely to happen, or may be easily brought about, than another (Sabine 6).” This part is emphasizing what the endgame of that particular situation more than likely will be if no action is taken in a different direction. The third and final part of this basic format that Sabine gives us “contains statements that something ought to happen or is the right and desirable thing to have happen (Sabine 6).” This is the normative portion of his explanation, and the most important part of a theory because it serves as a call to action. The philosopher visualizes a more advantageous outcome to the situation at hand, and they aim to alter the future with their ideas of a romanticized society. As far as psychological effects go, Sabine recognizes that passion is intrinsically alluring. Figuratively speaking, if you eliminate the logical portion of your theory, passion alone acts as an “effective short-cut (Sabine 8)” allowing one to bypass logic altogether. Rather than a theory, a philosopher could advocate an ideology which has proven to be just as effective in many cases. Leo Strauss very specifically distinguishes between “political philosophy” and “political theory.” In his opinion, political theory isn’t as prestigious of a term as political philosophy, and shouldn’t be held to as high of a standard. Political philosophy predates political theory,

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