This book examines the political thought of China, Greece, Israel,
Rome, India, Iran, Egypt, Mesopotamia, and also early Christianity,
from prehistory to c. 200 CE. Each of these had its own priorities,
based on a religious and philosophical perspective. This led to
different ideas about who should govern, how to govern, and what
government was for.
In most cultures, sacred monarchy was the norm, but this ranged
from absolute to conditional authority. 'The people' were
recipients of royal (and divine) beneficence. Justice, the rule of
law and meritocracy were generally regarded as fundamental. In
Greece and Rome, democracy and liberty were born, while in Israel
the polity was based on covenant and the law. Confucius taught
humaneness, Mozi and Christianity taught universal love; Kautilya
and the Chinese 'Legalists' believed in realpolitik and an
authoritarian state. The conflict between might and right was
resolved in many different ways.
Chinese, Greek and Indian thinkers reflected on the origin and
purposes of the state. Status and class were embedded in Indian and
Chinese thought, the nation in Israelite thought. The Stoics and
Cicero, on the other hand, saw humanity as a single unit. Political
philosophy, using logic, evidence and dialectic, was invented in
China and Greece, statecraft in China and India, political science
in Greece. Plato and Aristotle, followed by Polybius and Cicero,
started 'western' political philosophy.
This book covers political philosophy, religious ideology,
constitutional theory, social ethics, official and popular
political culture.
General
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