Political philosophy concepts and major theories

Political Philosophy

We have seen that the nature of nature differs for different thinkers. Explain what nature means for a) Greek (Plato) (b) Catholic Christian (Augustin, Aquinas) - A Protestant Christian (Luther, Calvin). (d) A modern scientific philosopher. (Burke, Smith, Locke).

Man, is a creation of God. Man is entitled to happiness, but is bound by the Laws of Nature. Each thinker looks at nature from a different angle.

Greek

The Greek philosophers like Plato perceived Nature in Forms or Ideas. These thinkers considered the Supreme Form to be the Form of Good. They related the Supreme Form of Nature to the Sun which helps illuminate. Their understanding of Nature was based on the Theory of knowledge and the Theory of Being. Plato considered the world to be a living creature with a soul and reasoning capacity. He had an organic view of Nature where the heavenly bodies exhibited perfect symmetry. His analysis of nature with respect to the political arena dealt mainly with justice. He perceived an ideal State with three classes namely economic, security and political where each class would perform its function without hindering the others. His assumption of the basic nature of man was that a moral person is a truly happy person. This is a corollary of the fact that 'to know good is to do good'. This implies that the knowledge of the ultimate form of good, guides moral decision making and this is what is required of people in political life.

Catholic Christian.

The Catholic Christians like Augustin and Aquinas looked at Nature from the angle of the Supreme Being. To them, man had fallen as he revolted against God. They assumed that this fall was only in part. Only the man's will had fallen and not his intellect. As a result of this man could think and question things starting from himself. People could act based on their own wisdom. Their thinking was based on individualism and these thoughts gave birth to the humanistic elements in the Renaissance.

Protestant Christians

The Protestant Christians considered Nature to be divine. They believed that the very existence of Nature implied God's plan and that all that was needed of man was faith. The emphasis here was again on individualism. The doctrines of Luther led to his followers being committed to their purpose and goals and lead the society into an era of wealth generation.