The term politics, political theory, political philosophy and political thought
are terms that are intimately related of which they have a unique link that
connects one with the other.
Understanding politics by discounting either any one of them is to
understand politics as a casual term only.
Indeed, political theory will help one in understanding what politics is really
all about or what political thought is really possessing.
Generally, political thought is understood to be all about politics, as it is
functioning, or it can be considered as a political theory in a sense that it has
some sort of a theory in its framework.
Political thought means the systematic reflection upon the practices and
institutions of political life.
As a student in international studies, the first item that will appear on your
minds about the term political thought is that the term is all about political life,
entirely and essentially about politics.
At this juncture, I hope that every one of us here has a better or a clear
view on what politics is all about. My presumption is that all of you have already
taken and passed Political Science in your previous years.
This article is intended for select classes of Mr. Dumaug. Nothing from this article should be cited. This reading
compilation is intended for classroom use only, hence no part of this should be made available to the public.
Therefore, political thought is not about the study of society for this is not a
subject on social thought as we are going to differentiate ourselves from
sociology but it is the study about the society in relation to politics and more
particularly about the social life in relation to political life.
Further, it is not about the economy for we are not purely dealing with
economic thought but what we are going to live in this course is the impact of
economics to politics.
Lastly, we can differentiate ourselves from the world of ethics although in
all aspects we will be reflecting on what ought to be an ideal political
constitutions or an ideal political life.
We have to understand political thought in following generalizations:
(a) That it is an orderly reflection on the political institutions and political
practices;
(b) That it is about how people live under a political authority, obey it, resist
it if it does not conform to what they think proper dispassionately;
(c) That it is about how political life is influenced by the external world and
how it is influenced by the world around;
(d) That it is about how authority works as a system and how it is related to
the subsystems under it and outer systems of which it is only one part.
Traditionally, when we speak about political thought it usually signifies
political philosophy at the best.
For example, when we are going to discuss the history of political thought
we usually focus on the seminal works of Plato, Aristotle, Hobbes or for example
Marx.
These works generally deal with the broad-ranging explorations of politics
which answers the many questions that relate to the general conditions of life
and experience.
Plato in his Republic elucidated the nature of relationship between
knowledge, practical political life and philosophic understanding.
Likewise, Aristotle was seeking to relate the actual conditions existing
during his time to the ethical norms these conditions absorb in themselves.
It is not uncommon that the term political thought and political philosophy
are being used interchangeably.
The works of the great philosophers depict not only the problems faced in
their respective times but also reflect their examination, inquiry and experience.
Political philosophy may be termed as the political thought of a particular
philosopher of a particular age. It is larger than the political thought of a
particular philosopher for it is the political thought of an age or of a community.
Political thought is closely related with political philosophy for it amplifies
and clearly states some political ideas, puts them in a time frame.
So to speak, political philosophy does include political thought even
though all political thought is not political philosophy.
period. It also includes the rational synthesis of political speculation, maxims and
norms.
Political philosophy is more of a speculation than of a reality, which is not
the case with political thought or political theory.
Political philosophy is largely imaginative, philosophical and speculative;
political thought is largely descriptive, analytical, explanatory and evaluative.
Political thought and political theory are closely related to each other in
so far as thought has a measure of theory.
In an attempt to change a political phenomenon into abstraction, we
attempt to build a theory. Political theory covers a wide range of practical
political activities and in the process, interprets, examines and relates them with
one another.
Political theory is both pure theory and pure practice of politics.
In his famous work entitled The Marxists by C. Wright Mills, political theory is
regarded as a social reality, an ideology, an ideal and of course as a theory.
With this interpretation, political theory becomes a political thought.
Political thought explains politics and political life as it really exists.
It defends or condemns or justifies or evaluates the political institutions as
they exist at a particular point of time. It articulates political events and
movements.
Political thought explains and political theory speculates.
Political thought is tied to a particular time frame while political theory is
above time, in fact beyond all times.
Political thought by nature, is both historical and transitional while political
theory is one that is future-oriented, developmental and to that extent has a
measure of ideology.
Political thought is both history as well as politics while political theory is
politics, science, history, philosophy all rolled into one.
Political thought provides political theory necessary data on which the
latter contemplates and acts.
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(a) It is about politics and political life, about political structure and
institutions. All political philosophers reflect on the type of politics they
confront and political life they live in.
(b) It is the political commentary on the times and circumstances of the
political philosophers.
(c) In the course of their reflections on their age, the political philosophers
deal with the theories and concepts, their merits and weaknesses, such
as their views on the state, division of power, legal frameworks , types
of polity and politics, kind of society and environment.
(d) Political thought is not only about politics or political life or political
institutions it is about their ideas and theories. It is not about politics only
it is about its speculation as a concept. It is not only about government
but is also about the government that ought to be. To that extent,
political thought contains normativism which, as we know, has
dominated the greater part of political thought, especially the western
political thought.
(e) Political thought is not only a reflection on political life of a particular
period it is also a reflection on the society in which a particular political
philosopher lives and reflects. When Plato was planning to build an
ideal state, he had in view the ancient Greek society and the problems
it was then confronting. When Marx condemned the bourgeois state
as the committee for managing the common affairs of the whole
bourgeoisie, they were reflecting on the characteristic feature of the
capitalistic society.
(f) Political thought, as expressed through works and treatises, and writing
and reflections, provides a body of knowledge through concepts and
categories which alone help in understanding the subject or the
subject matter. It is the source of knowledge of political concepts and
can be a key to formulate numerous models and categories.
Political thought is Politics in so far as it makes it as its subject matter; it is
History in so far as it represents an age; it is theory in so far as it examines on the
concepts it works on; it is philosophy in so far as it speculates on political terms
and categories; it is an international studies as it provides framework of coming
up with common understanding on the political life and institutions of men in the
community of nations.
2. The Framework of Political Thought
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It is a tradition in so far as it comes to us as a body of thought. It is the sumtotal of what stays on, and an accumulation of what is changed and what
continues. It is what keeps responding to our circumstances. What becomes outdated is not part of the tradition.
Political thought attempts to identify values and norms and makes them
an inseparable part of a particular political trend.
For example, Western political thought evolves and revolves around
values like liberty and libertarianism, democracy and democratic tradition,
equality and egalitarianism.
Political thought is primarily the study of the state.
It studies society in so far as society influences the state as political life and
social life though independent is interdependent. Similarly, it focuses on
economic institutions and process in so far it influences the political orders and
process. It also takes into consideration ethical questions, for ultimately it is
concerned with a just and good political order.
The characteristic features relating to what political thought can be state
is that:
(a) Political thought is the systematic reflection upon the practices and
institutions of political life. It is the commentary on the existing political
institutions, how people have lived under a political authority, why
have they obeyed it and why have they resisted it.
(b) Political thought is not merely the description of political life and
political institutions it is also the analysis, examination and evaluation of
the issues which concern political life. It is both science and philosophy.
Science in so far it examines critically the concepts and philosophy in
so far as it reflects on those concepts.
(c) Political thought in the course of its discussion of political life and
political institutions, helps identify ideas and concepts and issues of
universal concern. Political philosophers and theorists alike have
debated the nature of state and peoples obligations to obey the laws
and will continue debating in times to come.
(d) Political thought is history as it relates itself to a particular time as it
relates itself to a particular time; as the political philosopher seeks to
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answer the problems that confront his/her times; and as it has the
experience and richness of the time in which it is written.
(e) Political thought is ethics as it upholds the ideals and norms of the
political tradition it belongs to.
(f) Political thought is not merely the assemblage of the political ideas of
a particular theorists, it is also the assemblage of political ideas of a
host of political philosophers. It is also what may be related to a
particular time. That is why we hear about the political thought of the
16th century or of the 20th century. There are for examples references
about political thought related to nations and states: Political thought
in England, the US Political Thought; the political thought of the
Philippines?
4. Why You Are In My Class?
To close the discussion above, we have to be frank about the relevance
of the study of political thought. Here we may highlight them that:
(a) The study of political thought reveals the identification of certain
political issues together with the solutions as discovered by the political
philosophers. These political issues remain largely the same: the nature
of political authority, the problems of political obligation, the ongoing
debates on what should be the rights of the people, and the nature of
corruption in administration. The solutions offered by the political
philosophers act as our guide: we work on those solution, we restate
them and refine them. Their teachings remain suggestive always.
(b) The reflections on the same political issues, time and again, make us
understand these issues from numerous angles and in the process will
help us solve them from varying perspectives. Political thought places
before us the age-old experience so to help utilize it. It helps converse
us with history; a dialogue between different perspectives, between us
on the one hand and the great political philosophers on the other. We
communicate with the political philosophers of the past, and in the
process, enrich ourselves.
(c) Political thought is a key to understand the past. With political
philosophers we go into their times, their situations and in the process,
understand history as it existed then, a political philosopher not only
writes history, his political philosophy, he interprets the history of his
times. In the process, we, as the students of political thought, know not
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only the political philosopher of a particular time but also the times in
which the political philosopher lives.
(d) Political thought contribute to the growth of certain political concepts
and ideas. That is how we build the meaning of the concept of justice
as it comes to us through the writings or numerous political
philosophers. Our concept of liberty has not been the same as it was
during the times of either Hobbes or Locke but whatever it is, it has
grown since the days of Hobbes and Locke.
(e) Political thought adds to our vocabulary and to our literature of
political theory. It gives us new concepts, new meanings and new
interpretation. It keeps adding to our corpus: social justice here and
socialism there, liberalism here and conservatism there.
(f) Political thought is suggestive and therefore, inspiration and activating
and reactivating. We may not agree with Platos communistic
diagnosis as devices to eliminate corruption in politics, but who stops us
on thinking about other possible alternatives? Political thought is an aid
to our thinking.
(g) Political thought by illustrating political institutions and political
structures, helps us choose and build our own. It is through political
thought that we have known numerous forms of government and of
states and have in the process chosen our own type of political system.
Political thought helps us enrich our knowledge, and our experience, train
and broaden our responsibilities, sharpen our discriminating power and acquire
sound judgment.
Political thought is rich and therefore illuminative and educative.
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