Political Theorist
For this Assignment—
APA Please
You will research the three Political Theorist below who have been influential in the development of Political Science. For each theorist, you will submit a one-page profile. Your profile must minimally include: A. An Image of the theorist B. A brief history of the theorist life C. A discussion about their contributions to the development of political science or social sciences in general D. A discussion of the major issue taking place in their time that may have influenced their thinking.
Book Name and Chapter 9 information came from below.
Hosein, Ann. Political Science. Encyclopaedia Britannica, Inc., 2015. [VitalSource Bookshelf].
INFLUENTIAL FIGURES IN POLITICAL SCIENCE
The thinkers and scholars discussed in this chapter have made historically important contributions to the development of political science.
JOHN LOCKE
(August 29, 1632–October 28, 1704)
Locke was an English philosopher whose works lie at the foundation of modern philosophical empiricism and political liberalism. He was an in- spirer of both the European Enlightenment and the Constitution of the United States. His philosophical thinking was close to that of the found- ers of modern science, especially Robert Boyle, Sir Isaac Newton, and other members of the Royal Society. His political thought was grounded in the notion of a social contract between citizens and in the importance of toleration, especially in matters of religion. Much of what he advo- cated in the realm of politics was accepted in England after the Glori- ous Revolution of 1688–89 and in the United States after the country’s declaration of independence in 1776.
Locke’s family was sympathetic to Puritanism but remained within the Church of England, a situation that coloured Locke’s later life and thinking. Raised in Pensford, near Bristol, Locke was 10 years old at the start of the English Civil Wars between the monarchy of Charles I and parliamentary forces under the eventual leadership of Oliver Cromwell. After the first Civil War ended in 1646, Locke attended Westminster School in London. The curriculum of Westminster centred on Latin, Greek, Hebrew, Arabic, mathematics, and geography. In 1650 Locke was elected a King’s Scholar, an academic honour. Locke’s philosophies led him to a dual career as a physician and philosopher. He became a fellow of the Royal Society where he conducted scientific research. His most important philosophical work, An Essay Concerning Human Understanding (1689) began at a meeting with friends, probably in 1671.
Locke’s political philosophy was guided by his deeply held religious commitments. Throughout his life he accepted the existence of a creat- ing God and the notion that all humans are God’s servants in virtue of that relationship. The essentially Protestant Christian framework of Locke’s philosophy meant that his attitude toward Roman Catholicism (how could it ever be proved?), and he feared the political dimensions of Catholicism as a threat to English autonomy, especially after Louis XIV in 1685 revoked the Edict of Nantes, which had granted religious liberty to the Protestant Huguenots.
PLATO
(428/427–348/347 BCE)
Plato was an ancient Greek philosopher, student of Socrates (c� 470–399 BCE), teacher of Aristotle (384–322 BCE), and founder of the Academy, and is best known as the author of philosophical works of unparalleled influence. Plato’s family was aristocratic and distinguished: his father’s side claimed descent from the god Poseidon, and his mother’s side was related to the lawgiver Solon (c� 630–560 BCE). Plato as a young man was a member of the circle around Socrates. The works of Plato com- monly referred to as “Socratic” represent the sort of thing the historical Socrates was doing. He would challenge men who supposedly had ex- pertise about some facet of human excellence to give accounts of these matters—variously of courage, piety, and so on, or at times of the whole of “virtue”—and they typically failed to maintain their position. Resentment against Socrates grew, leading ultimately to his trial and execution. After the death of Socrates, Plato may have traveled extensively in Greece, Italy, and Egypt. Plato, at Dion’s urging, apparently undertook to put into practice the ideal of the “philosopher-king” (described in Plato’s dialogue the Republic) by educating Dionysius the Younger; the project was not a success, and in the ensuing instability Dion was murdered. Plato’s Academy, founded in the 380s, was the ultimate ancestor of the modern university (hence the English term academic); an influential cen- tre of research and learning, it attracted many men of outstanding ability. In the Republic, the character Socrates undertakes to show what Justice is and why it is in each person’s best interest to be just. Socrates develops the proposal that Justice in a city or an individual is the con- dition in which each part performs the task that is proper to it; such an entity will have no motivation to do unjust acts and will be free of internal conflict. The middle books of the Republic contain a sketch of Plato’s views on knowledge and reality and feature the famous figures of the Sun and the Cave, among others.
ARISTOTLE
(384–322 BCE)
Aristotle was an ancient Greek philosopher and scientist, one of the greatest intellectual figures of Western history. He was the author of a philosophical and scientific system that became the framework and ve- hicle for both Christian Scholasticism and medieval Islamic philosophy. Aristotle was born on the Chalcidic peninsula of Macedonia, in northern Greece. He was a pupil and colleague of Plato’s for 20 years. When Plato died about 348, Aristotle left Athens. He eventually became tutor to Philip II’s 13-year-old son, the future Alexander the Great, though their relationship cooled in later years. While Alexander was conquering Asia, Aristotle, now 50 years old, established his own school in a gymnasium known as the Lyceum.
Aristotle famously observed that “Man is a political animal”: human beings are creatures of flesh and blood, rubbing shoulders with each other in cities and communities. Aristotle’s political studies combine observa- tion and theory. He and his students documented the constitutions of 158 states—one of which, The Constitution of Athens, has survived on papyrus. Aristotle asserts that all communities aim at some good. The state (polis), by which he means a city-state such as Athens, is the high- est kind of community, aiming at the highest of goods. Government, Aristotle says, must be in the hands of one, of a few, or of the many; and governments may govern for the general good or for the good of the rulers. Government by a single person for the general good is called monarchy; for private benefit, tyranny. Government by a minority is aristocracy if it aims at the state’s best interest and oligarchy if it benefits only the ruling minority. Popular government in the common interest Aristotle calls polity; he reserves the word democracy for anarchic mob rule.
