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Machiavellianism And Democracy
CHAPTER ONE -- [Total Page(s) 5]
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1.5 Literature Review
Here a review of the theories of some other political thinkers will be made. We shall examine all the periods.
In
the ancient period, Plato’s theory of the state is an idealist theory.
For him the polis[8], the state should reflect the ideally ordered
polity which exists in the mind or in the world of ideas. The ideal
state must be a just state. The state originates because the individual
is not self-sufficient and has many needs. In order to satisfy these
needs the state is formed.
For Aristotle, “the state is the highest
form of association, most sovereign, embracing all others and therefore
aims at the most sovereign of all good. It is political ‘he koinonia
politike’ - the communion of life in the form of stateâ€[9]. The state is
the summit of all human associations and activities providing for all
man’s needs. Therefore, the states exists by nature since man being a
political animal can best secure the good of life and fulfil his needs
together with other men in the state. The virtue of justice is a feature
of a state; because justice is the arrangement of the political
association. Distributive justice promotes political obligation, unity
between citizens and the state.
Thus it “involves treating equals
equallyâ€[10]. Aristotle in discussing the components of the state
defends slavery. The ideal form of government for him is Aristocracy.
For Cicero, “the state belongs to the people, a people being association
of a good number of persons based on justice and partnership to secure
common goodâ€[11]. He advocates that the natural law of reason is the
basis of all other laws and that its source is Divine Wisdom and Reason,
which directs the entire universe. All other rules draw their power and
inspiration from the authority of God who directs all things. He sees
justice as a necessity for order in the state.
The medieval period
witnessed many political theorists who propounded their theories on what
constitutes the state and how the state is to be administered.
Augustine in his doctrine of the two cities presents the ‘city of
God’-the heavenly kingdom against the earthly kingdom, which the Roman
Empire represents. For him, “the ‘city of God’ is the true society, a
universal commonwealth ordained by God at the creation of manâ€[12]. It
transcends all races, class and other kinds of boundaries. The supreme
good can only be realized if there is justice in the state.
For
Thomas Aquinas, the civil society exists by nature. It comes from the
nature of man as a social animal. His theory could be analyzed from his
treatise on law. Justice holds an important place in his theory. It
means for him, “rendering to each one his right[13]â€. There are two
distinctions of justice, namely particular and general justice. Thomas
More advocated for communism and bought platonic idea of the philosopher
king. The best and ideal state should “aim at happiness or the pleasure
of the entire people and not only that of a few privileged
citizensâ€[14].
CHAPTER ONE -- [Total Page(s) 5]
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