This revised and expanded edition of A World History of Ancient
Political Thought examines the political thought of ancient Egypt,
Mesopotamia, Israel, Iran, India, China, Greece, Rome and early
Christianity, from prehistory to c.300 CE. The book explores the
earliest texts of literate societies, beginning with the first
written records of political thought in Egypt and Mesopotamia and
ending with the collapse of the Han dynasty and the Western Roman
Empire. 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.
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