NOTE: Free essay sample provided on this page should be used for references or sample purposes only. The sample essay is available to anyone, so any direct quoting without mentioning the source will be considered plagiarism by schools, colleges and universities that use plagiarism detection software. To get a completely brand-new, plagiarism-free essay, please use our essay writing service.
One click instant price quote
Political Philosophy Plato was convinced that society can only be built on hierarchical principle. He was well aware that the majority cannot be entitled with powers to make political decisions, because crowd always chooses in favor of instant gratification, which usually negatively impacts the society as whole. This is why Plato was suggesting that only those people, who are capable of grasping the essence of abstract concepts, should be entitled with political powers. Thomas Hobbes used to promote the concept of social contract. According to him, the social stability can only come as result of people willingly surrendering some of their civil freedoms to central government, whose task is to make sure that individuals destructive instincts are kept within the boundaries of appropriate social behavior. Hobbes was an apologist of political authoritarianism.
He knew that the amount of natural resources on this Earth is limited; therefore, people are in the constant struggle for the place under the sun. This creates a situation when they are unable to exist as integral part of society, which is the foremost condition for cultural and social progress. Therefore, peoples destructive anti-social tendencies can only be kept under control, if government is able to exercise its authority by the mean of enforcement. John Locke, on the other hand, was denying central government the right to impose its authority upon people, because he thought that it was only the matter of time, before this would prove to be counter-productive, in the long run.
Locke was suggesting that people are social beings, in their essence; therefore, it was principally impossible for their behavior to be socially destructive, in the first place. Locke's approach to the social problematic was a bit naive, because he seriously thought that moral considerations define peoples act. He also promoted the idea of social contract, but he thought of it in the context of enabling citizens to gain even more, out of being the part of society, rather then reducing the negative aspects of their social interaction. Marx promoted the idea of dictatorship of proletariat, which was to insure that other social classes would gradually cease to exist. As history shows, very often Marxist revolutionaries were not patient enough to wait until it happens naturally, so they would use mass executions to speed up the process.
Marx anticipated the time when there would be no national states. His vision of future resembles anarchist utopia, from certain prospective. Yet, he also theorized that masses cannot effectively rule themselves, which is why he suggested that the ruling elite should be created out of idealist promoters of workers cause, such as himself. John Dewey is considered the founder of Pragmatism. He thought that the constant nature of social dynamics prevents us from finding the most effective form of government, because the concept of governments authority is static in its essence.
Therefore, we can say that while being a pragmatist, like the most of Americans, Dewey considered the issue of social governing to be secondary, because he was able to observe that political power is always in the hands of wealthiest people, regardless of whether they refer to it as democracy, tyranny, and monarchy. The political ideas of Plato appeal to me the most. This is because the democratic idea of governing through a popular vote has discredited itself since the times of republican Rome. For example, in America the results of elections are well known well ahead. This is because the degree of politicians success is proportionate to the sum of money that he can spend on elections.
Crowd votes for politicians who can appeal to its lowliest instincts. People choose in favor of those who promise them bread and spectacles. This is why many of our elected officials are very primitive individuals, who under no circumstance should be allowed to define countrys policies. Only people who had served in the army and who hold a degree in science can be allowed to participate in elections. It would be even better to eliminate elections altogether as useless ritual, which had lost its representative nature long ago. Gould, James and Mulvaney, Robert.
Classical Philosophical Questions. 12 th ed. New Jersey: Prentice Hall, 2007.
Free research essays on topics related to: plato, part of society, elections, social contract, central government
Research essay sample on Part Of Society Social Contract
