Final Blog

I think political philosophy helps us as citizens know how our government thinks and how it was made.  Political philosophy has shaped the structure of our entire government for example the way Thomas Jefferson used the ideas/philosophy to write the Declaration of Independence, by Jefferson using Locke's philosophy he was able to help distinguish how he wanted us to be independent from Britain and to establish ourselves in the world. I think it is fairly important to study political philosophy because it just makes you understand how to relate to certain philosophical ideas, but I find it to be not as important in some cases because political philosophy is always changing just like people so i sometimes question the legitimacy of some philosophy since most of the time citizens will only listen to their family family values, and they're ideas of being a pre-determined republican or democrat. When really citizens base they're own philosophy on what the media shows.

final blog

I think that political philosophy is the theory of which methods to enforce for political sovereignty or there lack of, for the benefit of the people in that state or nation. I like looking back in history and reading about different political structures and seeing what worked and what didnt, which is the main purpose it serves to society today, especially in more industrialized nations because they have the most wealth and power and indirectly rule the world. We can keep learning from history's mistakes and keep progressing in hopes that one day we live in a Utopian society, which is why i think political philosophy is important

Final Blog

I think political philosophy is studied to help us get better in tune with our government and its economy. Most of us, like me, don't really understand government itself, much less the reason for the way it runs today. I think that is an important study because it informs people about their own government and it will later help them in constructing their own opinions about certain candidates in elections instead of just going by commercials and hear-say.

Final Blog

This class was very interesting and I learned a lot. It did surprise me because I did not think we would have the type of readings we did. Overall it was really interesting what we were going over in class, discussing the points the philosiphers made. Their points had effect on the ideas and thoughts of some of todays political ideas. Political philosophy to me means the basics of our government and where it came from. This class made me have to go deep inside my brain to figure things out to try and answer questions.

philosophy

to me political philosophy is studying the foundations and ideas that have shaped our political world today as we know it. Being able to look back at and study how different people viewed political theory has in my opinion really helped other theorist in the future and help shaped all the different types of governments and cultures of the world. Learning about all the different views taht people have proposed throughout history has really opened up my mind about different topics of the world. 

Final blog- political philosophy

When I hear the word "politics", or "political philosophy  I kind of roll my eyes. However, after taking this class and reading our assignments each week, I really began to see how precedents were set long, long ago for the way that the political world operates today. Each piece that we read is somehow still relevant to the world today and how our governments are formed and interact. For example, in the readings about MLK and all the readings from week 7, ideas and issues are discussed in which one person stands up for what is right when it is an unpopular stance. Those people set standards for right and wrong and how much people would take before they said enough. That in particular I think is a huge aspect of today's political world- standing up for right and wrong even when the odds are against you, and feeling free to argue your point. All of the readings we were assigned throughout the semester really showed how governments don't just make their own way of doing things, they learn from the people and events of that past.

Political philosophy

Political philosophy is the study politics and rights. By learning about other political philosophies and views one will gain a more well rounded pint of view. The content of a political philosophy does not necessarily matter as long as its legit, it still helps provide a better understanding of politics and the world. Political philosophy helps provide answers regarding why there is government and how major decisions were made.

Political Philosophy

Political philosophy is really anything to do with politics. The way in which a country is run through laws and rights, the way in which authorities take control, and the way that the people feel or view their rights and government. It is something that is competely different among each persons views and beliefs and also differs greatly between countries and governments.

Political Philosophy

To me, the intentions of political philosophy is to understand the purpose of politics. The study of what is necessarily for organized society to exist, and why it's necessarily. From Socrates to Baudrillard, it has been explained man's nature and what it takes to keep order. What the people expect from authority, what the authority demands of the people.
When we can understand these things more comprehensively, we can better govern ourselves. We may create an orderly society safe for everyone, while still keeping as many individual freedoms as possible.

Political Philosophy

Over this course, we have read many stories and learned about many different philosophers and their ideas. I have learned quite a lot of new things and new political theories. After taking this class I think that political philosophy is just how the government is operated and how it effects the citizens rights and liberties, not only in America but in many different cultures.

Political Philosophy

Political philosophy, in my opinion, is the ideas and beliefs behind the political foundations that the governments we know today are based on. Political philosophy is not a concrete idea that is unchanging. Political philosophy is constantly recreating itself to go along with the times. And, with every new political philosophy that comes along, it makes way for a new leader to take the reigns of what politics can, and probably will, become.

Political Philosophy

Political philosophy is a philosphy or theory that looks at the topics of liberty, politics, rights, and law. It looks at the enforcement of these topics by an authority and if the authority (government) is legitimate. It provides insight as to how and why we have government. Many philosophers explain to us waht needs to be done if we feel the government is not treating us fairly/taking advantage of us.
King and Ghandi explain that we must use acts of non-violence, peace, and love in order to obtain change. Marx explains that there is a struggle between two classes, one who owns the means of production and one who labors. Kropotkin believed in complete overthrow of government on communist principles. Hobbes is considered to have created the concept of a social contract that justifies the actions of rulers. The ideas by many of these philosophers explain to us what works and what does not work. We are all touched one way or another by these philosophers ideas.

Politics This Semester

During this semester I have learned a lot about political philosophy. The first thing that I learned from political philosophy is that as a whole, we learn that we get our political ideas from political philosophers. Political philosophers molded the way our politics works today and the way it will work in the future if we didn't have the foundation of our political philosophers, politics would not be what it is today. When we talked about Karl Marx and Marxism it opened my eyes to what Marxism really is because I thought it was the same as Communism. My thoughts were completely wrong, I know now that Marxism is like Communism but it is not the same thing. Communism took the ideas from Marxism to become a way of government. The difference between Communism and Marxism is that Communism wanted one ruler over all people and Marxism wants the people to rule. I also like what I learned about Leibnitz and how he thought that everything in the world is good and he believed in  predestination. His ideas helped us realized that everything in the world is not good and how we respond to that is knowing that somethings in the world that go on are not always good. This helps to realize in politics, everything that goes on is not good and everything that happens is not always for the good of the people that are involved. I think that this classed opened my eyes to different perspectives that I had no clue about just like the book The Bookseller of Kabul. I didn't really understand what was going on in Afghanistan and why we have been there for so many years until we read this book. Now I see that Afghanistan is going through a lot of turmoil and they need our help to make it better so they can thrive on their own as I country. I am very glad that I took this class because now I know a lot more about the ideas of our politics rather than what I see on the surface.

Final Blog

Over the course of the semester we have read many theorists and discussed the things they talked/wrote about. All of the Political theorists we have discussed had obviously contributed to today's theorists' ideas and also how societies function around the world today. Political philosophy focuses on rights, politics, liberty, etc. and how these things affects different cultures. The study of political philosophy is what helps theorists come up with their theories and this ultimately has an affect on their societies.

Final Blog

The meaning of political philosophy to me is knowing the knowledge and fundamentals of our government and other concerns with the country.  It is important to know the basics of how our country came to be and our government systems.  Looking back at our political history many philosophers strived to bring their ideas which helps us to build our understanding and political ideas.  I found it easy later to understand earlier philosophers like Socrates and Plato where they spoke out against their own form of government and established a new form of thinking.  I enjoyed this class because it helped me think outside of the box.  I expanded my knowledge about some people I already knew about, but continued to increase my knowledge about understanding their political side.

final blog

During the first couple of classes in political science I thought that i would hate the class because of all of the reading. After reading the first couple of assignments I realized that it was interesting to learn about how our society came to be how it is. I didn't like all of the readings but I did enjoy most of them. The main point of what I have learned in this class is how politics were in the past and how they have developed into what they are today. I will remember how each of the philosophers thought and there main ideas for the rest of my life.

final blog

I learned a lot in this course this semester. To be honest going into this class I wasn't sure what it was all about and if i would even enjoy it. The number one thing i noticed was that all the philosophers theories show up some where in this world (or at one point). Most of the readings were interesting and i learned a lot. Over all i really enjoyed this class it really opened my eyes to our society and how it is developing.

Political philosophy

I have learn a lot in this class over the semester. I find political philosophy to be the study of politics and how we shape our government. Reading all of the works of past philosophy helps us make more wise decisions today learning from past experiences and ideas.

Final Blog

I think political philosophy is the study of politics. I think its important to understand what political philosophy is about because it helps us focus on the back round of government and where people get their views  so we can create our own views of politics. In this class we read so many views people have and not everyone will agree with someones view, but that's what this class is about.

Final Blog

I think that political philosophy is using philosophy to understand current politics, and also politics of the past. Leviathan used philosophy to introduce laws. He said that people need laws so their lives are not short and "brutish". We used people like Marx to learn about social classes. Marx talked about the bourgeoisie and the proletariat. They were sort of upper and middle class. Adam Smith used philosophy to describe the market and economy. I think that laws, social classes, and the economy are all important aspects of politics and government. Leviathan, Marx, and Smith used what they observed and believed was right to help try to create a better government. The works of all of these philosophers help us to realize what works and what doesn't work today. We are influenced by the work of all of these writers in some way.

Final blog

     From all the readings, i have learned so many things during this course. It has opened up my eyes to what Political philosophy means. In my opinion political philosophy is the study of how government is run and the libretiey people have and concepts on how government is run, and operates.

Political Philosophy

Political philosophy is the study and interpretation of existing governing bodies and norms which dictate society.  In other words, looking at a form of government and answering questions such as 'is this government needed?' 'To whom does this government apply?' 'Who is benefitting from the way this government operates?' etc. By picking apart questions such as these, we are able to gain a more wholesome understanding of why not only our government is set up the way that it is, but how it works today.  I think it is our duty as citizens under one government to understand the way that our political sphere functions, so that we know our rights and responsibilities, and how to carry them out in the event that they are being oppressed. If we do not understand why our government functions the way that it does, or know how to change the things we dislike about it, then we are blindly throwing our faith into something that is an anomaly to us, and accepting whatever decisions it bestow upon us. By reading the works of political philosophers, we understand the thought process which was followed by hundreds to get to the point we as a society have arrived at today. This is important because it allows us to not only understand how our governing bodies function, but why they have developed in a certain way. Perhaps we may look at a given system such as communism and think, 'gee, that sounds fair. We should use that here.' But when looking back over history at countries that have used communism, we see how they ended up and can view all of the flaws in the system. Suddenly the person who was thinking it was a better system understands why Americas government doesn't strictly follow one social system. Politics, according to wikipedia,  is defined as 'a term that is applied to the art or science of running governmental or state affairs, including behavior within civil governments.' As we better understand how the government is structured and how it functions, we are better able to make decisions on how to shape and mold it to fit the needs of the world today. 

Ending Blog

We have read many different theorists throughout this course, all of which have enhanced our knowledge of what Political Philosophy is. Through the readings by these theorists I have formed my own opinion of what Political Philosophy is. Political Philosophy is the combination of one theorist's ideas with another throughout history and cultures. It allows us to understand how different cultures work and how different ideas put into action within a society will result in what way. Political Philosophy helps us understand politics because it shows us how different types of governments might work in theory and how they actually work in reality.

Final Blog

Political philosphy is how we learn about and relate to our governemnt, economy, and society. It is important for us to study the authors and readings that we did because we need to be informed about all of the different politcal ideas out there. That gives us the best basis to choose what we thinks is most moral, just, and practical for our government. The more informed we are, the better our ability to judge what will and wont work within our society. As a citizen in a democracy, especially, it is our right to vote, and therefore our responsibility to know why are voting the way we are.

The end of blogging

In my opinion, political philosophy is the search for the answer to what a persons relationship to society truly is. From the many readings this semester, it is clear that there are many views that range from individual liberty to society working together as one unit. While this is a very simple definition, inbetween these two extremes lie numerous versions that take ideas from both. It is also the study of liberty and justice, what constitutes both, and the true meaning of authority.

The blog to end all blogs.

 I think political philosophy can be interpreted in many, many different ways. The definition of political philosophy is the study of justice, liberty, property, right, laws, and the enforcement of the legal code, and all of the writers we've read of the semester have had their own spin on what those topics meant to them. After reading about Socrates, Marx, Adams, Rousseau, and others, I now see where a lot of my beliefs come from. My favorite writers were the ones that talked about the battle between right and wrong, or justice vs. injustice because I see or experience those struggles everyday and I can connect with the writers I've read using some of the lessons they learned.

Final blog

I think political philosophy is the study behind all of the theories in politics. I think the policies grow off one another and develop when the society changes. What may have worked for one time period would not work for another because of the changes time brings.
I think we need to understand political philosophy to understand politics because without the philosophy we couldn't grasp why they were there. No one just sits there and decides something about politics because they're bored. They put deep thought into what they say. The ones that we read over this course weren't just randomly selected, they were picked because they did a great job at making you think. It's important to know where the different parties came from and what they truly think.