Glenn Tender's Political Thinking Essay Example
Brad Schwartzman
Glenn Tender's Political Thinking
Hans Morgantheau, one of the foremost thinkers in political science believed that politics and government is the perpetual struggle for power. The famous political theorist Thucydides agreed when he said, the "strong will do what they want, the weak will do what the must." Are they right? Is the goal of all humans to seek power in order to dictate their own ideologies and beliefs? I would agree that the tumultuous and evolutionary system that we live in can be broken down into a simplistic belief. However, in order to answer these questions we must first clear away all the idealistic and political debris that surrounds them and uncover the root of human existence. Only then can we attribute all of one's actions and emotions to a single concrete ideal. Once the nature of humanity is discovered, different components of the political structure such as freedom, equality and order can be better understood.
The nature of a human being can be best defined in terms of its "essence." Glenn Tinder, professor of political science and author of Political Thinking asserts that the "essence" of an individual is one's "innermost" or "basic" self (26). If one acts in a manner unbefitting of what they consider themselves, the behavior they are referring to is engrained in one's "essence." It is what makes humans what they are, the core of their being, what defines them as a person. Next, it must be established whether humans are united or "estranged" in their essence. "Estrangement" encompasses all forms of disunity among human beings. Examples from Tinder include war among nations and classes, personal alienation and other human emotions such as hatred, isolation and apathy (23).
Thomas Hobbes, the famous English philosopher advocated that humans are estranged. Morgantheau would agree with Hobbes' assertion that the natural state of man is one of conflict. Without a strong government to guide its citizens,
Glenn Tender's Political Thinking
Hans Morgantheau, one of the foremost thinkers in political science believed that politics and government is the perpetual struggle for power. The famous political theorist Thucydides agreed when he said, the "strong will do what they want, the weak will do what the must." Are they right? Is the goal of all humans to seek power in order to dictate their own ideologies and beliefs? I would agree that the tumultuous and evolutionary system that we live in can be broken down into a simplistic belief. However, in order to answer these questions we must first clear away all the idealistic and political debris that surrounds them and uncover the root of human existence. Only then can we attribute all of one's actions and emotions to a single concrete ideal. Once the nature of humanity is discovered, different components of the political structure such as freedom, equality and order can be better understood.
The nature of a human being can be best defined in terms of its "essence." Glenn Tinder, professor of political science and author of Political Thinking asserts that the "essence" of an individual is one's "innermost" or "basic" self (26). If one acts in a manner unbefitting of what they consider themselves, the behavior they are referring to is engrained in one's "essence." It is what makes humans what they are, the core of their being, what defines them as a person. Next, it must be established whether humans are united or "estranged" in their essence. "Estrangement" encompasses all forms of disunity among human beings. Examples from Tinder include war among nations and classes, personal alienation and other human emotions such as hatred, isolation and apathy (23).
Thomas Hobbes, the famous English philosopher advocated that humans are estranged. Morgantheau would agree with Hobbes' assertion that the natural state of man is one of conflict. Without a strong government to guide its citizens,