Effective Theories for Political Order Development - Essay Example

Effective Theories for Political Order Development Introduction Political order refers to ever changing political situations and systems prevailing in a society. The changes in the society are mainly due to the presence of various tensions and existing political theories with distinctions. The diverse contemporary and traditional political theories assist in forming a state with legitimacy, justice and humanity for the enrichment of political situations and the creation of ideal political order (Wissenburg, 2012). In this regard, a German philosopher named Friedrich Nietzsche reflected views about Christian morality, human equality and perfectionism. As per the political principle of Nietzsche, every individual is equal and tends to follow a moral perfectionist approach (Lemm, 2007). Conversely, the other philosopher John Rawls in response to the theory of Nietzsche initiated “A Theory of Justice”, which elaborates individual rights and liberty (Iowa State University Department of Economics, n.d.). Furthermore, the German philosopher Immanuel Kant’s Principle of Ethical Leadership is duly considered to be the other important dimension in the political order, which values respect, justice, honesty and ethical altruism (Monahan, 2012). Contextually, a British philosopher named John Stuart Mill developed the theory of liberty, which possesses the capability of forming a dynamic political order (Ogunkoya, 2011). It will be vital to mention that the above discussed theories or principles are of great significance and value in the modern political scenario. Thesis Statement The essay intends to explore different theories formulated by varied philosophers about the significant concern of political order. An argumentative viewpoint will be presented in this essay determining the creation of political order and its purpose as per the theories laid down by dissimilar philosophers namely Nietzsche, Rawls, Kant and Mill. Discussion The effective way of determining the importance of the theories propounded by the philosophers is executing and applying the same in real-world situations. As per the respective theories propounded by the aforesaid philosophers, it can be ascertained that Nietzsche believed in morality and the concept of perfectionist. The idea of perfectionism is not prudent in political situations, as it denotes that human good and morale leads to a better political ruler. This view of moral perfectionism was argued by Rawls wherein, the American philosopher stated that the notion of moral perfectionism is elitist and does not consider forming appropriate political culture in a democratic nation. Specially mentioning, Rawls delineates perfectionism as a “teleological theory”, which directs the people to comply with the duties along with the obligations for attaining greater level of human excellence. This viewpoint of Rawls can be deemed as quite different from that of Nietzsche’s believe (Lemm, 2007; Arneson, 2000). On the other hand, both the philosophers i.e. Nietzsche and Rawls valued justice as well as equality, which is regarded as the vital aspects of creating an ideal political order with strong governance. The principles of Rawls reflected the significance of justice in the society, however, generated maximum ethical issues regarding its universal acceptance with moral perfection. In this regard, it can be argued that the best political order is when the positive elements of both the principles of Rawls and Nietzsche are taken into concern. It is worth mentioning that Rawl’s political philosophy of justice will be valuable for a nation at the time when the people hold a positive perception about the philosophy of justice. This standpoint of Rawls is applicable and apt when individuals possess ‘liberty’ and ‘freedom of thought’ (Arneson, 2000). Based on the above stated arguments, it is noticeable that ethics play an imperative role towards forming an ideal political order. The point of justice is also valid with the emergence of the concept of ethics in leadership as stated by the German philosopher Kant. As argued by Kant, for the individuals to be just and honest, ethics is an important factor, which will not only support the theory of Rawls but also create a strong political order. Ethical leadership theory argues about equal opportunity, individual needs, societal contribution and performance that are linked with the significant aspect of liberty (Kimberling, 2008). The theory of liberty was initiated by John Stuart Mill wherein, the British philosopher spoke about the aspects like personal quality and self improvement with regards to true freedom. Mill had the power to influence people, which is one of its prime strengths. As argued by Kant, liberty is essential so that people get influenced towards creating an ideal political order for the development of a nation effectively. It is to be affirmed that the concept of liberty as propounded by Mill is one of the most influential factors contributing towards the establishment of an ideal political order (Ogunkoya, 2011). From the above arguments, it can be affirmed that the aforesaid theories seem to be quite relevant for the creation of strong political order and governance. From the perspective of a leader, Nietzsche’s theory is more focused on human feelings and psychology. On the other hand, the theory is rationale on various aspects, as this focuses on equality factor. Nietzsche strongly believed that liberty makes every individual to perform any action effectively. The relevance of this theory can be mainly judged with the viewpoints of Rawls, wherein greater focus is laid upon justice, equality and also ethics. These arguments and standpoints of the philosophers were supported with the introduction of other contemporary concepts of ethical leadership and liberty (Iowa State University Department of Economics, n.d.). Consequently, the above arguments decipher the fact that for forming strong governance and consistent constitution of politics in a nation, all the above mentioned theories are relevant with the existence of few loopholes. An ideal political order who will rule will take into concern three main factors, as identified by the influential philosophers including Nietzsche, Rawls, Mills and Kant. These factors include liberty, equality and ethics (Wissenburg, 2012). It is the political leaders who would mainly rule in this modern world in alignment with the Theory of Liberty as developed by the philosopher Mill and Ethical Leadership theory propounded by Kant. The political leaders who will be effective in ruling the nations will possess strong ethics and liberalism. These political leaders will rule because of promoting varied elements of justice, respect and equality for safety of the people residing within a society. These political leaders will effectively rule as they will create a strong and legitimate political order. In this regard, it can be argued that the following of the above discussed by the political leaders will facilitate them towards addressing the basic needs or expectations of the people from a political order perspective. Most significantly, the leaders will rule the modern world because Liberty and Ethical Leadership based theories will acknowledge the aspects of safety, security, freedom and respect that are often regarded as the essential elements contributing towards developing the governance of the constitution. Liberty and ethics combined together in their ruling will give rise to a well framed constitution and leadership under which, the people of any society feel harmless and protected. A leader and a government will meet the expectations of the societal members through their added values, ethical judgment and equality along with freedom for the creation of an efficient political order (Lang, 1998). It is evident that a society changes with time and thus there lays the requirement of building a strong political order. However, with time, political order changes and therefore, the leaders along with the government are unable to meet the changing demands of the prevailed political scenarios. From the arguments, it can be ascertained that the major purpose of the political order will be to meet the challenges and the legitimate needs of the political systems (Lang, 1998). The absence of social integration, liberty, equality and ethics often leads towards political instability and distress in a society. Moreover, the purpose of the political order by taking into concern the theories propounded by Rawls, Kant, Mill and Nietzsche will be to promote political security as well as stability by integrating liberty and ethics. Moreover, the purpose of an ideal political order will be maximizing the worth of the people, developing economies of scale and mitigating social frustrations. It is worth mentioning that perfectionism in politics can be created through following few basic principles and theories based on the aspects like liberty, equality, humanity and ethics, which is the main purpose of the political order. Apart from these, the other purpose of the political order will be to serve the people of a nation by offering with strong economy, social environment, market stability, strong ethical judicial system and liberty. The viewpoints of the philosophers contradicted each other with the objective to create a better functional theory for the formation of a strong as well as an ideal political order (Lemm, 2007; Arneson, 2000). Conclusion The urge of forming an ideal political order is one, which is linked with the theories propounded by Kant and Mill along with few principles of Rawls and Nietzsche. It can be ascertained that the prime intent of forming an ideal political order is to minimize social frustrations and build greater political stability with the following of the theories concerning liberty and ethical leadership. Thus, as per the above discussion, it can be concluded that though the philosophers hold diverse viewpoints concerning the formation of an ideal political order and its purpose, the theories advocated by them delivers the similar message of certain significant aspects like freedom, ethical justice and equality. References Arneson, R. J. (2000). Perfectionism and politics. Ethics, 111(1). Iowa State University Department of Economics. (n.d.). A theory of justice. Retrieved from http://www2.econ.iastate.edu/classes/econ362/hallam/readings/rawl_justice.pdf Kimberling, L. S. (2008). Ethical reasoning and transformational leadership: an investigation of public sector leaders. USA : ProQuest. Lang, S. (1998). Challenges. USA: Springer Science & Business Media. Lemm, V. (2007). Is Nietzsche a perfectionist? Rawls, Cavell, and the politics of culture in Nietzsches "Schopenhauer as educator." The Journal of Nietzsche Studies, 34, 5-27. Monahan, K. (2012). A review of the literature concerning ethical leadership in organizations. Emerging Leadership Journeys, 5(1), 56-66. Ogunkoya, D. (2011). John Stuart Mill’s “harm principle” as the foundation for healthy social relations. The Journal of International Social Research, 4(17), 516- 533. Wissenburg, M. (2012). Two concepts of political order. Traditional and Pluralist Perspectives, 1-16. Read More