Political Philosophy Is The Issue Of Political Obligation

Over the length of this course, we have discussed several aspects of politics. We have studied citizenship and obligations to society as a citizen, justice and what it means to us as individuals, and how to go about enacting change within a community and around the world. Some of the most important topics from this class included the characteristics, duties, and obligations of rulers of government. In addition to the concept of rulers, we also studied the notion of authority and the moral and metaphysical implications of authority to individuals ' autonomy. Within each concept of study, we read works from many authors with conflicting ontologies, constructed from their differing views on human nature.

Political Philosophy is typically a study of a wide range of topics such as, justice, liberty, equality, rights, law, politics and the application of a codified law. Depending on what the philosophy is, it usually tends to be a very sensitive and a personal ideology that an individual holds within the reality of their existence. Several of the fundamental topics of political philosophy shape up the society that we live in as these specific topics and their implementation by the state ensures a legitimate government. In Political Philosophy, the aforesaid concepts or topics are evaluated and analyzed with tremendous depth in context to their history and intent. Furthermore, in a rather colloquial sense, political

Political Power and Natural state: He explains the need for civil government; by detailing life with the absence of civil government. This is the premature state of an entity; through this one can see the need and a role for a government structure. He begins by defining

Wolff (1970) defines a state as a group of persons who have the right to exercise supreme authority within a territory, over a population. He proposes In the Defense of Anarchism, men are autonomous, as higher degrees of autonomy is achieved, a man will resist the claim that states have authority over him. This illustrates the puzzle of Political obligation and can be explained through the appeal to consent.

| What form of political state is best?Can a government restrict the liberty of its citizens?

In David Friedman’s book, “The Machinery of Freedom”, he argues for anarcho-capitalism, the theory that believes the state should be abolished because it is unnecessary and a free-market should be put into place. Usually, anarcho-capitalism is defended from one of two views, consequentialist or deontologist. Friedman takes the consequentialist side believing that it is actually more desirable for the market to provide law and protection than the state because it gives the people choice to choose what they believe and competition will promote improvement. Deontologists, however, believe that any initiation of force is immoral, so they would prefer a law banning the initiation of force rather than private protection agencies. Despite

People need the government to guide and control them; for they can have freedom. The people need the government to direct and advised them, which will allow them to furish in a free society. Additionally,

In State of Nature, where voluntary consent has yet to be established, disagreements are frequent. Every man believes their rights are more important than another’s, which leads to this quarrelling. Yes, it is true, everyone is endowed with their natural rights and has the right to defend them because no one has the right to take away someone else’s natural rights. “Hence, in the state of nature, no man had any moral power to deprive another of his life, limbs, property, or liberty: nor the least authority to command, or exact obedience from him…” On the contrary, this chaos brought on by two people trying to settle an argument their own way leads to dysfunction. This chaos is why we need government, so that we may have a unified, known set of laws for society to settle disagreements with. “If life, liberty and property could be enjoyed as great perfection in solitude, as in society, there would be no need of government. But the experience of ages has proved that such is the nature of man, weak, imperfect being…” Men are selfish and weak in nature, we need something to unite for success us while still protecting individual’s natural rights. This uniting force is government.

Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shewn, that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security.

Socrates believed that anarchy against your state was never excusable or a reasonable action. He explains to Crito that laws that are created should be followed by those living in the state. That also does not mean that every law created is just and should not be questioned, or that there is never a law that should not be followed. On the contrary you can lobby for the change of an unjust law. Without the state you would not have clean water, education, and be left defenseless. While you are there to help in the betterment of your state, it is also there for your benefit. On the other hand, Mills philosophy is also an important one to examine. The state should be there to ensure your personal liberties are never stripped from you, this is true,

Some contemporary Scholars like Quentin Skinner define the state today as "a locus of power distinct from either the ruler or the body of the body of the people." (Skinner, Foundations of Modern Political Thought, II, p.355). Yet, others would argue that the potency of the word "state" derives from the fact that it means both ruler and people. In other words, the state is at the same time loved for its promise of order and stability for the whole community and feared for its threat of coercion by the power which does the ordering. Both schools of thought may be right for there is no universal definition of the concept. But no intellectual discussion about the concept of the state is complete without a review of the writings of St. Thomas

Philosophers have struggled with determining the proper role of government. In the absence of government and laws, people could do whatever they wanted, and some of them would try to slaughter others and steal their property. This is the state called anarchy. People have realized that the safety of the people and the country would be in jeopardy in such a state. Thus, it is necessary for a country to have a government and/or ruler. However, a ruler must not have absolute power nor lack authority. But the protection of the people and the country alone is not enough for a country to prosper. The property and the natural rights of the people and the government must also be protected. Thus, the proper role of government is to protect the

For all of history there has existed the struggle between the strong and the weak. The establishment of government gives the power to a particular group to decide the amount of freedom the majority is allowed, however, though not ideal it provides necessary order. The benefits of security that limitations on freedom provides must be balanced with the individual's pursuit of happiness for citizens to be content. To prevent the governed majority from destabilizing the rulers and seeking power, the government will oppress political and personal freedom of thought. In result, the majority will live under the illusion of contentment and not wish to revolt; those enlightened to the idea that the government should be ruled by the governed, would associate happiness only with ignorance and consequently seek freedom.

As anarchy is one of the most debated cases in the International Relations study, many philosopher and scientist argue about the word ‘Anarchy’. In Wendt’s journal “Anarchy is what states make of it”, Alexander Wendt conveys that anarchy does not by chance lead to a self-help system (Wendt A. , 1992). The term anarchy comes from the Greek, 'anarchia', which means 'absence of authority'. Generally, we can define Anarchy as the condition where there is no sovereignty, the rules that disappeared because of the absence of authority. The Cambridge English Dictionary defines the word anarchy as ‘a situation in which there is no organization and control, especially in society, because there is no effective government’. George C. Lewis states that “Anarchy is one of the vaguest and ambiguous words in language” .

Political philosophy is the study of basic questions about the state, government, politics, liberty, justice etc. political philosophy is concerned with the concepts and arguments involves in political opinion. It is ethics applied to a group of people, discusses about societies set up.In political philosophy it is important to know what ought to be a person’s relationship in a society. This seeks application of ethical concepts to social sphere. It is a standard which help to analyze and judge existing institutions and relationships. According to Bernard Williams “political philosophy is not just applied moral philosophy, which is what in our culture it is often taken to be….political philosophy must use distinctively political concepts, such as power, and its normative relative, legitimation.” Leo Strauss has said “Philosophy is the quest for wisdom and political philosophyis the attempt truly to know about the nature of political things and the right or the good political order.” In the history of political philosophy, many philosophers have born and influence the era with their theory. There some renowned philosopher from ancient time to modern are Plato, Aristotle, Machiavelli, Hobbes, Locke, Rousseau etc.They gave theory on state, Justice, government, education. In western political history Plato is a legend philosopher whose thought considered wealth of the century and till influence the people’s thinking world.The Republic is his famous book where he