Plato

Student of Socrates; teacher of Aristotle

Wrote The Republic
o Book of conversations of some philosophers including Socrates himself
o Plato described his ideal society (Belief in Utopia) where people are
able to work in conditions based on their potential
o Each person has their own area of expertise they must focus on
o Justice results when everybody does their designated roles and does
not interfere with that of others
o Justice is based on a societys division of labor
o Emphasized justice as an important ethical and political concept
o Justice is not exclusive, its for the common good of the whole political
community
o Developing a position on justice in relation to happiness
o
Just life = happy life
o What is justice and Is the just person happier than the unjust
person
o Wisdom requires understanding how the world is
Aristotle
Student of Plato; teacher of Alexander the Great
Wrote Politics
o He defines a life of good quality and how this is accomplished by
forming relationships, w/c will then lead to a society, w/c leads to the
need for politics
o The city is a complete whole and each individual is a mere part. The
city is more important that the individual
o He claimed that individuals are defined by the cities they live in
o Ethics + Politics = well constructed city
o Man is a Political Animal (it is in our nature to interact with other
individuals recognize what is right from wrong, because we are capable
of reasoning)
Thomas Aquinas
Known as the angelic doctor
Dominican Friar
Faith + Reason = ways to discover truth
Justice to him was giving what is right to each one and a just man is one
who respects the rights of others
Niccolo Machiavelli
The end justifies the mean
o If your objective is good, then it doesnt matter if the way you achieve
it is good or bad
Wrote The Prince
o About doing everything to get to power and keeping it
(Lying, backstabbing in order to get power and keep it)
o Described what makes a good prince and a bad prince.
o A prince must have no other objective but that of war because that is
whats expected from him
Voltaire
He rejected religion, w/c he saw as superstitious and irrational, but believed
on a supreme being on the evidence of reason and nature only (no miracles)

Reason above feeling

Despised democracy
Believed in monarchy, informed by the counsel of the wise, as the best suited
to govern a country/state

Thomas Hobbes
English philosopher whose main concern is social and political order.
He believed that for humans to live together in peace and avoid danger, there
should be a sovereign (person or group who decides for every social&political
issue)
Famous as well for his Social Contract Theory
o Political and Moral Obligations depends on the consensual agreement
and the compromise being done
Jean Jacques Rosseau
He believed that people are naturally good but civilization corrupts man
The Social Contract (with it's famous opening line, "Man is born free; and
everywhere he is in chains."),
Baron de Montesquieu
3 Types of Government
o Monarchy (ruled by a king or queen)
o Republic (ruled by an elected leader)
o Despotism (ruled by a dictator)
Government that was elected by a leader was the best form of govt.
Success of a democracy (govt in w/c people have the power) depended upon
maintaining the balance of power
John Locke
Believed in the concept of limited government
o They should be limited to securing the life and property of citizens

separation of powers and believed that revolution is not only a right but an
obligation in some circumstances

John Stuart Mill

Political Economy
Liberalism
- Discussion on Freedom of Expression (individual liberties)
Utilitarianism
- Greatest happiness for the greatest number of people
- An ethical theory
- Egalitarian by nature (happiness is equal for everyone)
Nature of Happiness = Human Motivation
Justice = Duty
Representative Democracy = Ideal Government
Jeremy Bentham
practice of hedonism (pleasure or satisfaction of oneself as the basis of ethics
and morality

Adam Smith
Free market and Laissez-faire structures that support it are two components of
a larger theory of human interaction and social history

Commercial Society
- Importance of economy in Human Condition
- Economy (social and political structure of the nation)
Morality = Measurement of humanity
Mercantilism
- wealth of a nation was to be assessed by the amount of money
and goods within its borders at any given time (STOCK)
- Labor brings wealth
Commercial system improves the lives for the worst off in society
All individuals should have the necessities needed to live reasonably well
SKILL, DEXTERITY, JUDGMENT = WORKFORCE, MASS LABOR

Karl Marx
Marxism

- Practice of socialism
> the labor theory of value
> dialectical materialism
> the class struggle
> dictatorship of the proletariat until the establishment of a classless society
Communism
- Public ownership
Politics = manifestation of economics
Struggle between the bourgeoisie and the proletariat
Economic analysis of capitalism based on the labor theory of value, and
includes the analysis of capitalist profit as the extraction of surplus value from
the exploited proletariat

Joseph Stalin
Leader of soviet union (Russia) mid 1920s
man of steel
Gen. Sec of Communist Party
Marxist

Adolf Hitler
believed in fascism wherein a society is ruled by a dictator who controls the
lives of the people and in w/c people are not allowed to disagree with the
govt
kill Jews and take over the world

Lee Kuan Yew

Prime Minister of Singapore for more than 3 decades (1959-1990)
During the three decades he was in office, Singapore grew from being a
developing country to one of the most developed nations in the world, despite
its small population and lack of natural resources
For Him, the people and their work ethics are the only natural resources
Brought Singapore to democracy after their separation frombMalaysia
For him, the ultimate test of a political system is whether it improves the
standard of living for the majority of people
Policy of bilingualism
He used fear to stay in power. He was respected but not loved by all.
Was criticized for implementing some harsh measures and for being elitist and
aristocrat

Political Ideologies
1. Democracy
2. Liberalism
3. Socialism
4. Communism people produce and give everything to the government, in
return, the government equally distributes the goods to its people
5. Feminism
6. Neo-liberalism