Comparing Political Philosophies
Comparing Political Philosophy Theories
PHI/105
04/26/2013
Daniel Chadwick
Comparing Political Philosophy Theories
Write a 350- to 500-word paper describing three of the following political philosophy theories:
Social contract or contractarian (use at least two philosophers in your description)
Classic liberalism or libertarianism (use at least two philosophers in your description)
Marxism (use at least one philosopher in your description)
Communitarians (use at least one philosopher in your description)
Capabilities approach (use at least one philosopher in your description)
Follow your descriptions with a conclusion answering the following questions:
How are these theories similar to one another?
How are they different from one another?
Do you find one philosophy more compelling than the others? If so, why?
Contractarianism The social contract or political contract is a theory or model, originating during the Age of Enlightenment, that typically addresses the questions of the origin of society and the legitimacy of the authority of the state over the individual. Social contract arguments typically posit that individuals have consented, either explicitly or tacitly, to surrender some of their freedoms and submit to the authority of the ruler or magistrate (or to the decision of a majority), in exchange for protection of their remaining rights. The question of the relation between natural and legal rights, therefore, is often an aspect of social contract theory.The most important contemporary political social contract theorist is John Rawls, who effectively resurrected social contract theory in the second half of the 20th century, along with David Gauthier, who is primarily a moral contractarian.
Marxism
Under Marxism, outdated class structures were supposed to be overthrown with force instead of being replaced through patient modification. It held that as capitalism has succeeded feudalism, it too will be removed by a
PHI/105
04/26/2013
Daniel Chadwick
Comparing Political Philosophy Theories
Write a 350- to 500-word paper describing three of the following political philosophy theories:
Social contract or contractarian (use at least two philosophers in your description)
Classic liberalism or libertarianism (use at least two philosophers in your description)
Marxism (use at least one philosopher in your description)
Communitarians (use at least one philosopher in your description)
Capabilities approach (use at least one philosopher in your description)
Follow your descriptions with a conclusion answering the following questions:
How are these theories similar to one another?
How are they different from one another?
Do you find one philosophy more compelling than the others? If so, why?
Contractarianism The social contract or political contract is a theory or model, originating during the Age of Enlightenment, that typically addresses the questions of the origin of society and the legitimacy of the authority of the state over the individual. Social contract arguments typically posit that individuals have consented, either explicitly or tacitly, to surrender some of their freedoms and submit to the authority of the ruler or magistrate (or to the decision of a majority), in exchange for protection of their remaining rights. The question of the relation between natural and legal rights, therefore, is often an aspect of social contract theory.The most important contemporary political social contract theorist is John Rawls, who effectively resurrected social contract theory in the second half of the 20th century, along with David Gauthier, who is primarily a moral contractarian.
Marxism
Under Marxism, outdated class structures were supposed to be overthrown with force instead of being replaced through patient modification. It held that as capitalism has succeeded feudalism, it too will be removed by a
References: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Social_contract http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Classical_liberalism http://www.businessdictionary.com/definition/Marxism.html Philosophy: The Power of Ideas (8th ed.) (Moore and Bruder)