Role of Intuitions for Political Philosophy - Coursework Example

Role of Intuitions for Political Philosophy al Affiliation Political philosophy refers to a philosophical thinking on how preferably humans can organize their lives in whole, rational political institutions, and logical social practices (Cartwright & Seta, 1996). Notably, political philosophy traces its roots to the ancient times among various communities and nations. Arguably, China was among the first nations to develop a political philosophy in a bid to counter the political and social breakdown in the country. Many other nations followed suit in similar endeavors. The main philosophies that dominated this movement include Legalism, Confucianism, Mohism, Taoism, and Agrarianism. Specifically, this essay focuses on the role of intuitions for political philosophy. The question is whether these intuitions play an efficient role in defining the existing political atmosphere. For a long time, political philosophy has been part of humans owing to the collective social and political arrangements. Many issues that people encounter require philosophical justification. Conceivably, these may prevail from a political standpoint, social argument or environmental perspective (Scheffler, 1994). However, for a political philosophy to stand out it must communicate issues concerning the people, their needs, and capacities. These are aimed at justifying a certain specific set of collective arrangements. Politics is considered more as an issue that concerns humans rather than just one that is merely mechanical or interactive among individuals (Guess, 2008). An examination of past political philosophies of the western world depicts two types of political philosophers (Cartwright & Seta, 1996). First, there are those who advocate for general philosophical systems, which form an integral part of the political arena. On the other hand, others are political and social thinkers who make considerable contributions to the advancement of political philosophy. For instance, Germany practices multiparty system, which begs the question as to whether political philosophers have a role to play in the country (Leopold & Stears, 2008). Ideally, like in any other country of the world political philosophers have become an integral part of the German political system. Arguably, ethics is the foundation of political philosophy. Therefore, philosophical discourses related to politics emerge and spread from their ethical origins. Thus, various intuitions accompany the discourse of political philosophy. First, the utilitarian view affirms that a good is achieved by an endeavor to find the greatest amount of happiness for the highest number of people possible (Cartwright & Seta, 1996). Similarly, in a political system, this kind of philosophy would recommend the establishment of institutions that create the best level of satisfaction and happiness to the people served by a government. In this respect political philosophy ought to be realistic and be concerned with how humans act in various circumstances (Guess, 2008). Through this, the philosophy fulfills the ideology of political progress relevant for the citizens. On the other hand, an ethical deontologist view asserts that the highest level of good is guaranteed by the participation of the citizens themselves towards duties of the government. In this approach, political philosophers bring about the issue of human rights activism. Usually, it involves a practice that advocates for more institutions through which the citizens can counter the operations of their governments to ensure that they get happiness (Leopold & Stears, 2008). Evidently, political philosophers have the viewpoint that an individual is actually more important in a political system than the system itself. The argument is that if humans were non-existent then the political institutions would not exist in the first place. They would be meaningless as they gain their meaning from the existence of humans (Scheffler, 1994). Similarly, it is important to note the virtue eminent in philosophers that ideals and models of behavior are not considered just at their face value (Guess, 2008). Additionally, other views surround the ideology of political philosophy. There is a wide recognition that politics has much to do with humans associating with institutional set up which tend to change with different governance structures. Consequently, political philosophies have to be realistic in nature by focusing on how the political, social and economic institutions operate in a country at any given time. Fundamentally, justice is another main ethical concept of political philosophy (Leopold & Stears, 2008). However, it is dominated by vast complexities and may refer to personal virtues, societal organizations, and individual rights that are different from perceived general social order. One of the philosophers to define the meaning of justice was Socrates. He termed it as “treating friends well and enemies badly.” (Cartwright & Seta, 1996) Any attempt to develop a working and acceptable political system should thus incorporate appropriate justice mechanisms. These are aimed at restoring confidence among the populace. Related to the concepts discussed above are the schools of thought that characterize political philosophy. Liberalism is the first of these and advocates for two separate positions. The first is a pro-individualistic theory of citizens and government while the second is a pro-statist conception of the concept. The first connotation is often referred to as classical liberalism while the latter as social democratic liberalism. In fact, the two are occasionally used interchangeably as they have crosscutting issues, which rest on liberalism as a whole. The virtue of justice is manifested here too (Scheffler, 1994). The main assertion is that justice is an important motive of liberalism and that the role of the state is to make sure each and every individual has a just and fair opportunity to compete and succeed in a civil society. Humboldt was one of the first Europeans to imagine a political liberalist standpoint. He imagined a situation in which there existed a structure of free political institutions (Guess, 2008). Aristotle was one of the most prominent philosophers. He asserts that “for a person to pursue the good life, he requires a certain standard of living.” Perhaps, this argument alongside many others, which came up during his time, defined the whole concept of liberalism. Modern liberals advocate for equitable and redistributive welfare policies with an aim of creating equal opportunities for the people (Leopold & Stears, 2008). Therefore, both modern and classical liberals agree to the fact that the government possesses the sole duty of eliminating impartiality among the people. Modern liberals tend to prefer a more interventionist political structure and government with emphasis on the capabilities of the state to create an equitable operating environment (Cartwright & Seta, 1996). Another viewpoint to political philosophy is the conservatism approach. Notably, it is a unifying procedure other than the ideology adopted by liberalism. Those who believe in philosophical conservatism avoid tampering with certain forms of political behavior and institutions. Perhaps, the most intriguing part of conservatism is the pessimistic view held by it about the human nature. Significantly, this school of thought holds a view of skepticism towards power and a person’s desire to use it. In essence, political institutions are mandated to oversee the actions of the people for the betterment of the functionalities of government to its citizens. Furthermore, conservatives condemn the idea of a social contract (Scheffler, 1994). However, it is important to note that conservatives do not necessarily reject reforms but are only skeptical about people’s ability to understand how the institutions mandated to serve them operate. The main emphasis in conservatism is on the importance of property rights in social relations. They assert that private properties have a role to play in relation to their ability to check the power of the state or any other person who wishes to seek power. The distribution of private property rights supports the ideology by conservatives that people and the local communities are better assessors of their needs and problems than governments and distant bureaucrats (Leopold & Stears, 2008). The reason is that conservatives are quite skeptical about the state and thus suggest alternative social associations as a way of relief into their problems. The last school of thought on political philosophy is the socialism ideology. The standpoint of socialism represents an array of ideas and beliefs held together by a group of people. Political philosophers of socialist intuition believe that capitalism tends to be morally and politically flawed. The reason is that capitalism (or liberalism) is viewed more as a free market system, which does not necessarily incorporate the ideas of the local people but are aimed at achieving the best economic outcome. However, the importance of political philosophies is seen in their function of fostering the analysis and dissolution of ideologies (Guess, 2008). The idea of political socialism began in the Marxist philosophical era. The argument was that socialism is actually the last historical era that would replace the capitalist ideologies (Leopold & Stears, 2008). Moreover, this view presents two fundamental claims. First, the assertion that capitalism should be either reformed or replaced completely. To achieve this, they suggest an overhaul in the ability of individuals to access and own resources suggesting a redistribution of the national resources. The system suggests that a certain amount of resources should be controlled by the state while the remaining is left in the hands of the citizens for equitable sharing. Similarly, socialists focus on the historical developments that led to an inequitable distribution of resources in favor of some people or even nations. The argument here is that instability (often caused by wars) together with exploitation by the elite in society are the two most influential elements, which cause the immoral distribution of national resources. Therefore, the consideration of historical injustices plays a major role for proponents of this political, philosophical standpoint. In most cases, Socialists condemn the unethical and material pursuit adopted by liberalism (Cartwright & Seta, 1996). Perhaps, socialists despite being just anti-liberalists have an optimistic stance at how individuals ought to be, are capable of, and are owed by their government than any other philosophical intuition. Importantly, humans are often in need of understanding the general orientation of their actions rather than just a simple evaluation of the world around them (Guess, 2008). Therefore, the paper has recognized various intuitions for political philosophy. The views are held differently in various parts of the world. Most importantly though is the fact that these philosophical standpoints help guide individuals and their governments into a viable political relationship that is practicable and acceptable to both. As mentioned above in the essay content, each of the standpoints has a role to play in the society. They evolve around ethics and societal moral values, which ought to be recognized and observed at all times. Therefore, it is clear that the intuitions have a role to play in the enhancement of prosperity of political philosophy. Similarly, they help define an existing political atmosphere in the countries of the world since each adopts their own style of administration. References Cartwright N. & Seta M, (1996). The myth of universalism: Theories of science and Theories of Justice. Geneva: London school of economics and political science Leopold, D., & Stears, M. (2008). Political theory: Methods and approaches. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Scheffler, S. (1994). The appeal of political liberation, ethics, Vol. 105 (1) 4-22 Geuss, R. (2008). Philosophy and real politics. Princeton: Princeton University Press. Read More