Daily Times

Politics Science studies as to how the political structures and actions work. However, the subject of Political Philosophy studies as to how these should work, evolve and change! A politician does politics practically, whereas, a political philosopher systematically analyses the political phenomenon and suggests how the political actions should be!

So far, the world has had fewer political philosophers and more politicians. Most of the political actions are shallow, indifferent, myopic, destructive and self-centred with vested interests. They seem to have occurred more concerning political reasoning and deliberation as to how these should have been! Politics, without being correctly, adequately and appropriately informed by the humanistic ideas and fed by the humanistic political philosophies, serves only certain classes, groups and interests.

Though less, the human history has, indeed, produced political philosophers; humanistic and anti-humanistic; liberal and illiberal; conservative and progressive; centralist and democratic; opportunist and inexpedient!

Albeit all these political philosophers should be studied to extract and practise humanistic elements. The biggest tragedy with political philosophy and philosophers remains that they are studied less the world over. The times we are living in are plagued with injustice and overly widened inequalities; challenging social contracts and the existence of states in contemporary forms. Thus, they necessitate increased reading of political philosophies.

Reading political philosophy and practising its humanistic aspects are the needs of the day

People often question the relevance of reading political philosophies in modern times; believing that political philosophy is outdated and redundant. That is not true. Concepts like (in) justice, liberty, authority, power, (in)equality, civil (dis)obedience and the social contract, which political philosophy studies, are most relevant today. They have remained relevant in the times of political philosophers like Socrates, Aristotle, Jean-Jacques Rousseau, John Locke, John Stuart Mill, Henry David Thoreau, Karl Marx and Walter Lippmann, to name a few.

Aristotle (384-322 B.C.) in his work “On Politics,” wrote, “For man, when perfected, is best of the animals, but when separated from law and justice, he is the worst of all.”

He continued, “He who is unable to live in society or who has no need because he is sufficient for himself, must be either a beast or a god: he is not part of State. A social instinct is planted in all men by nature, and yet he who first founded the State was of greatest of the benefactors.”

Are such ideas irrelevant after the passage of more than two thousand years? I think not!

Henry David Thoreau (1817-1862) in his work “Civil Disobedience,” wrote “I heartily accept the motto: That government is best which governs least,” and “Government is at best but an expedient; but most governments are usually, and all governments are sometimes, inexpedient.”

Are these ideas of Thoreau not yet applicable in current times when authoritarianism and populism are on the rise the world over?

John Stuart Mill (1806-73) in his book “On Liberty,” wrote, “The struggle between Liberty and Authority is the most conspicuous feature in the portions of history.”

Isn’t so relevant today?

John Locke (1632-1704) in his work “Second Treatise of Government,” wrote, “Someone wants to take away the freedom of someone else must be supposed to have a plan to take away everything else from the person, because freedom is the foundation of all the rest.”

In his work “Toleration,” he wrote, “No individual or church or commonwealth has a right to attack the civil rights and worldly goods of anyone on the pretence of religion.”

Are these ideas of Locke not most relevant in current times when the space for the realisation of civil liberties is shrinking and religion is yet used an instrument by many states the world over to persecute the religious minorities?

Jean-Jacques Rousseau (1712 – 1778) in his work, “The Social Contract,” wrote, “Man is born free, and everywhere he is in chains. Here’s one who thinks he is the master of others, yet he is more enslaved than they are.”

Isn’t the man of the 21st century in chains everywhere?

Walter Lippmann (1889 – 1974) in his work, “A Preface to Politics,” wrote, “The most incisive comment on politics today is indifference. When men and women begin to feel that elections and legislatures do not matter very much, that politics is a rather distant and unimportant exercise, the reformer might as well put to himself a few searching doubts.”

He continued, “With this in mind I wish to suggest that the distinction most worth emphasising today is between those who regard government as a routine to be administered and those who regard it as a problem to be solved.”

Isn’t all this what Lippmann said true today?

To conclude, reading political philosophy and practising its humanistic aspects are the needs of the day so that political consciousness of the right and wrong could be nurtured. Right political actions could be performed and rightly informed asks from the states and governments could be made.

The writer is a graduate in human rights and democratisation from the University of Sydney. He loves reading political philosophy