Essays on Political Philosophy

Ancient Greece was arguably one of the greatest civilizations of all time. Beginning in the 8th century BC and ending around 146 BC, this era introduced some of the greatest innovations in literature, technology, and philosophy. But with such a large civilization came many conflicts...

Attracted by the belief that hard work and ingenuity should be rewarded, I think meritocracy is a compelling ideal which justifies a degree of inequality. Yet it is difficult to reconcile this view with the subjective nature of ‘merit’ and the randomness of circumstance. Ultimately,...

The political theory of Plato must be understood with and within the state of period he lived. It is an established theory that the Peloponnesian war (the war between Athens and Sparta, 431-401 B.C) and the death sentence of Socrates were greatly influential in Plato’s...

Philosophers John Rawls and Hannah Arendt each establish different definitions of freedom that help to judge the legitimacy and purpose of political institutions. And while these definitions are not the same, they do not necessarily directly oppose one another. Rather, Arendt’s theory seems to be...

The Civil Rights Movement began shortly after the end of World War II. Some might even say that it began before that. The United States took the biggest turn on to the civil road with the Supreme Court’s decision in the Brown vs. the Board...

Aims This paper aims at explaining the conflict between the behavioural political science and traditional political science by way of distinguishing between the two, giving background information (history) and finally, comparing the two “side-by-side”. DefinitionsBehavioural political science is an approach to the study of politics...

The concept of individualism emerged in the 19th century. The French were the first to use this expression when they expressed their reaction to the French Revolution and were demanding their individual rights and taking their interests into account. The term “individuality” can be understood...

This lecture was very interesting, but in the same time little confusing to me. I read additional literature in order to develop my view on this topic. I found very interesting Descartes’s expressions about God, human and soul. The only existence in which I am...

According to “The World Holocaust Remembrance Center”, over six million Jews were killed by the Nazis at concentration camps during the Holocaust, between 1941 and 1945. After looking at Night by Elie Wiesel and Maus by Art Spiegelman, it is evident to say that both...

The accords assist the humans to deal in the exchange of contracts. They had an objective that human beings must work together to carry out explicit moves, however, on the contrary, accords are administered in the courtroom. Inside the written accord, the illustration of the...

To compare the world we live in today, to the philosophies of ancient Greece I would say its about a 50/50 split in terms of differences and similarities. In chapter two on page 46 one of the first sentences is “in the ancient world, people...

Agustin’s political and social opinions flow directly from his theology. The historical context is essential to understand its objectives. Augustine, more than any other figure of Late Antiquity, is at the intellectual intersection of Christianity, philosophy and politics. As a Christian priest, he proposes the...

In 1911, a man Lukas Müller, 34, has just arrived to Italy, from his home country Austria, by a four to five days train ride. The reason of visiting Italy had no connection to art at all. Müller was just travelling for curiosity in other...

Anarchy is the condition of a society, entity, group of people, or a single person that rejects hierarchy. The word originally meant leaderlessness, but in 1840 Pierre-Joseph Proudhon adopted the term in his treatise “What Is Property?” to refer to a new political philosophy: anarchism,...

Neo-realism vs Neoliberalism The acknowledged authority of “neo-realism” or “new realism” (sometimes also referred to as modern “realism”, “structural realism”) is Kenneth Waltz, who in his work “The Theory of International Politics,” published in 1979, rethought the traditional theories of “realism” . Walts more clearly...