POLITICAL THOUGHT AND THE CONCEPT OF POLITICAL THEORY

Dr. Basiru Musa

IRD 203 Classical Political Thought
Fall (3)
Week 2, Chapter 1
9/10/2023
Outline
◦ Meaning of Political Thought
◦ Concept of Political Theory
◦ Significance of Political Theory
◦ Difference between Political Theory and Political Thought, Political Philosophy and Political Science
◦ The Two (2) Approaches to Political Theory
Objectives
• Define Political Thought.
◦ Explain the concept of Political Theory.
◦ Examine the significance of Political Theory.
◦ Explain the difference between Political Theory and Political Thought, Political Philosophy and Political
Science.
◦ Identify and explain the Approaches to Political Theory.
 Meaning of Political Thought

Political thought can be used loosely to cover any

Political thought is the study of questions
abstract thought about politics, law or society –
concerning power, justice, rights, law, and other
philosophy being, in general terms, the search for
issues pertaining to governance. Whereas political
wisdom and understanding. However, philosophy
science assumes that these concepts are what
has also been seen more specifically as a second-
they are, political thought asks how they have
order discipline, in contrast to the first other
come about and to what effect. Just as Socrates'
disciplines which deal with empirical subjects. In
simple question ‘How should we be governed?’
other words, political thought is not so much
led to his execution, the question ‘What makes a
concerned with revealing the truth in the manner
government legitimate?’ leads to political turmoil
of science, as with asking secondary questions
when posed at critical times.
about how knowledge is acquired and about how
understanding is expressed (Williams, 1985).
 Cont.

01 02 03
Political thought asks what form For instance, whereas a political Secondly, it attempts to clarify and
government should take and why; what scientist may examine the democratic refine the concepts employed in
duties citizens owe to a legitimate processes at work within a particular political discourse. What this means is
government, if any; and when it may be system, a political philosopher will be that, despite the best efforts of political
legitimately overthrown, if ever. interested in clarifying what is meant by philosophers to remain impartial and
Generally, political thought, political ‘democracy’. Political thought, objective, they are inevitably concerned
philosophy, and political theory are therefore, addresses itself to two main with justifying certain political
terms often used interchangeably to tasks. First, it is concerned with the viewpoints at the expense of others
mean the study of philosophical texts critical evaluation of political beliefs, and with upholding a particular
related to politics (Bochenski, 1972). paying attention to both inductive and understanding of a concept rather than
deductive forms of reasoning. alternative ones (Charles, 1979).
Cont.
◦ The origin of western political thought has often been traced to the fifth century BC and is often associated
with Greece. This is because the Golden Age of Athens or Pericles is often assumed to be the beginning of
western political civilization. Historically, Greece is the place where Europeans contacted the civilization of
the ancient Middle East and where they crossed the threshold of science, philosophy and political theory.

◦ The history of western political philosophy begins with ancient Greece. Greek politics was characterized by
the existence of city-states or polis. Aristotle and Plato wrote of the polis as an ideal form of association or
organized society of men dwelling in walled towns (the heart and home of political society) in which the
whole community’s intellectual, religious, cultural, political and economic needs could be satisfied. The
polis, characterized primarily by its self-sufficiency, was seen by Aristotle as the means of developing
morality in the human character. It is significant to observe here that the Greek polis corresponds
appropriately to the modern concept of nation, a population of a fixed area that shares a common language,
history and culture.
Cont.
◦ In the classical era, man was conceived as a fraction of the polis or self- governing city-state that had no
other existence outside the framework of the polis. The city-state was on its part conceived as the only
genuine platform through which political values could be realized. The polis was conceived as
fundamentally self-sufficient and the only ethically sound foundation for the higher forms of civilization.

◦ It was however not a perfect structure but one which needed to be either improved or superseded. There
was no premium attached to the notion of individualism. Specifically, a good life was perceived only in
terms of participation in the life or activities of the polis. It is in line with this that Plato described the state
as the bottom of the division of labor in which men of differing capacity satisfy their needs by mutual
exchange. Participation in the affairs of the polis was ethically conceived as more important than either
duties or rights.
 Furthermore, political thought has been
described as man’s attempt to consciously
understand and solve the problems of his
group life and organization. Sabine and
Thorson (1973: 3) described it as an
intellectual tradition whose history consists

Cont. of the evolution of men’s thoughts about

political problems over time. It is the
disciplined investigation of political
problems which has over the centuries
attracted inquiries from political
philosophers such as Plato, Aristotle, St
Augustine, Machiavelli, Karl Marx and
many others.
 2. Concept of Political Theory
◦ The concept of political theory has been variously defined by different scholars as some view it as a
systematic body of knowledge that deals with political phenomena and to some, it is an individual view
about political concepts. At the most general level, political theory is a body of knowledge related to the
phenomenon of the state. While ‘theory’ refers to systematic knowledge, ‘political’ refers to matters of
public concern.

◦ Mukherejee and Ramaswamy (2011) posit that it is a personal endeavour to understand and experience the
present political reality and to evolve a mechanism to transcend the present imperfect society leading to a
perfect and more just order.
◦ This includes a study of the evolution, nature, composition, need and purpose of the governmental
apparatus and an understanding of human perception and nature, and its relationship with the larger
community. For instance, Plato’s view on the philosopher-king, Thomas Hobbes’ view on state of nature and
Aristotle’s view on revolution.
Significance of Political Theory
• Human beings are unique in two respects: they possess reason and the ability to reflect on their actions.
They also have the capacity to use language and communicate with each other. Unlike other species,
they can express their innermost thoughts and desires; they can share their ideas and discuss what they
consider to be good and desirable.

• Political theory has its roots in these twin aspects of the human self. Systematic reflection on politics, the
nature and purpose of government and political institutions, involving both to understand them and if
necessary, how to change them, is quite old. Political activity is an activity concerned with the
management of man’s collective life through the state (Hoffman & Grahaman, 2009).
 Cont.
• From classical period onwards, political speculation has been about how fundamental political
activity is, how it provides the groundwork for human civilization which distinguishes man from all
other living creatures and to inquire into the basic problem of ‘how to live together’ in a
community because living together is necessitated by human nature and forms the core of
individual life.
• Political theory seeks to understand, explain and analyze the political phenomena and prescribe
ways and means to rectify the shortcomings.
• Political theory examines certain basic questions such as how society should be organized? Why
do we need government? What is the best form of government? Does law limit our freedom? What
does the state owe its citizens? What do we owe each other as citizens?
 Cont.
• It systematically thinks about the values that inform political life, values such as freedom, equality
and justice. It explains the meanings and significance of these and other related concepts. It
clarifies the existing definitions of these concepts by focusing on some major political thinkers of
the past and present.
• It also examines the extent to which freedom or equality are present in the institutions that we
participate in every day such as schools, shops, buses or trains or government offices.
• At an advanced level, it looks at whether existing definitions are adequate and how existing
institutions and policy practices must be modified to become more democratic. The objective of
political theory is to train citizens to think rationally about political questions and assess correctly
the political events of our time (Das, 2006).
 Cont.
• Political theory is divided into distinct streams such as classical, modern, empirical etc. While the
classical political theory was dominated by philosophy and dealt with the description, explanation,
prescription and evaluation of the political phenomena; empirical political theory claimed to be a
science and has been primarily concerned with the description and explanation of the political
reality. Of late, contemporary political theory has tried to blend the theoretical and practical
aspects (Mukherejee & Ramaswamy, 2011).
• Political science and political philosophy play complementary roles in the realm of political theory;
therefore, the significance of political theory may be sought in both areas and these include;
control of social life, social criticism and reconstruction and the clarification of concepts.
 Cont.
• Control of Social Life: The scientific analysis of political life enables us to understand and solve
the problems of our social lives. Just as the knowledge of geology, helps us to understand the
causes of the earthquake and gives us insight for preventing the havoc caused by it, so political
science enables us to understand the causes of conflicts and violence in society and gives us
insight for preventing their outburst.
• Social Criticisms and Reconstruction: Political philosophy is primarily concerned with right and
wrong, good and evil in social life. Political theory, therefore, gives us ample insight into the
possible ills of social life and their remedies.
• Clarification of Concepts: It helps us a lot in the clarification of the concept used in the analysis of
social and political life which is essential for the development of knowledge.
 Cont.
• Formal Model Building: Political theory helps in devising formal models of political processes like
the ones in theoretical economies. These models are explanatory in nature which offers
systematically the factors on which political processes are based and they are also normative
because they try to show the consequences that will accrue from following a certain rule (Varma,
2006).
• Encourages Mutual Respect and Tolerance: The tradition of political theory encourages a dignified
debate between scholars of a different point of view. When we follow the tradition of these
political philosophers, it inspires us to understand each other’s viewpoint, allows us to identify the
strengths and weaknesses of our thoughts, and helps us to resolve our differences peacefully
(Sabine & Thorson, 1973).
Difference between Political Theory and Political
Thought, Political Philosophy and Political Science

Political Theory and Political Thought:

Political theory is sometimes synonymously regarded with political thought,
but it is important to understand they don’t necessarily mean the same thing.

Political thought is a generalized term which comprises all thoughts, theories

and values of a person or a group of persons or a community who think and
write on the day-to-day activities, policies and decisions of the state, and
which has a bearing on our present living. These persons can be
philosophers, writers, journalists, poets, political commentators etc.
Cont.
Political thought has no ‘fixed’ form and can be in the form of a treatise, speeches,
political commentaries etc. What is important about political thought is that it is
time-bound since the policies and programs of the governments change from time to
time.

Thus, there exists the Greek thought or Roman thought of ancient period or the
political thought of the medieval ages. While political thought is the immanent
philosophy of a whole age, political theory is the speculation of a particular thinker.
While political thought is implicit and immersed in the stream of vital action,
political theory is explicit and may be detached from the political reality of a
particular period (Mukhi, 2010).
Political Theory and Political Philosophy
Philosophy is all thinking really on anything and everything in search of the truth
and wisdom. It is called the science of wisdom; wisdom about this world, man or
God. This wisdom is all-inclusive and tries to explain everything. When this wisdom
is applied to the study of political phenomena or the state, it is called political
philosophy.

Political philosophy belongs to the category of normative political theory. It is

concerned with not only explaining what is but also what ought to be. When this
search is on political topics, we call it political philosophy. Hence it may not
necessarily have a theory to propose (Adam, 2002).
Cont.
Though political theory deals with the same issues as political philosophy,
it can explain them both from philosophical as well as empirical points of
view. In other words, while political philosophy is abstract or speculative,
political theory can be both normative and empirical. However, we must
not forget that though we can analytically distinguish between philosophy
and theory, yet if political theory is separated from political philosophy, its
meaning will appear distorted, and it will prove barren and irrelevant.
Theory must be supplemented by philosophy (Das, 2006).
Political Theory and Political Science
As a discipline, political science is much more comprehensive and includes different
forms of speculation in politics such as political thought, political theory, political
philosophy, political ideology, institutional or structural framework, comparative
politics, public administration, international law and organizations etc.

Political theory was made one of the subfields of political science. While Political
theory is not only concerned about the behavioral study of the political phenomena
from an empirical point of view but also prescribing the goals which states,
governments, societies and citizens ought to pursue. Political theory also aims to
generalize about the right conduct in political life and about the legitimate use of
power.
Cont.

Thus, political theory is neither pure thought, nor philosophy, nor science. While it
draws heavily from all of them, yet it is distinct from them. Contemporary political
theory is trying to attempt a fusion between political philosophy and political science
(Mukherejee & Ramaswamy, 2011).
The Two (2) Approaches to Political Theory

When we talk about the approaches to analyzing political theory, we are simply referring to the method of
analyzing a text in political theory. There are many methods of analyzing of political theory, but the two
basic methods are:

1. Textualist Approach
2. Contextualist Approach

1. The textualist approach has been dominant since 1945. The main thrust of this approach is that
political theory text can be studied without reference to their historical context. It is considered as a sub-
category of philosophy with its central concern on the clarification of concepts used in political discourse
and debate and to critically examine and evaluate political beliefs and principles. The textualists think that
though, historical understanding of the milieu in which these texts have originated may give us some
insights; they do not play a central role in interpreting them (Heywood, 1999).
Cont.

2. The contextualists, on the other hand, posit that a mere textual approach is
inherently weak as it overlooks the historical background, the purpose, motivation
and intention of writing the text. The approach emphasizes that political theory
itself has a history. That every text is the result of the conscious effort of the
authors, therefore, to ignore the historical context could lead to an error in
interpreting and understanding the text (Mukherjee & Ramaswamy, 2011).
Self-Assessment Questions
1. What do you understand by political theory?
2. List some significance of political theory.
3. Explain in brief the distinction between political theory and political thought,
political philosophy and political science.
4. Discuss the approaches to the study of political theory.
References
• Adam, S. (2002) Political Philosophy. Cambridge: Polity Press
• Barker, E. (1959). The Political Thought of Plato and Aristotle. London: Methuen, 1906; repr. New York: Russell &
Russell.
• Das, P.G. (2006). Modern Political Theory. London: New Central Book Agency PVT LTD. Goodin, R.E. (2006). The
Oxford Handbooks of Political Science. Oxford, England: Oxford University Press.
• Gould, J. & Kolb, W. (1964). A Dictionary of the Social Sciences. Free Press.
• Heywood, A. (1999). Political Theory: An Introduction. London: Macmillan.
• Heywood, A. (2004). Political Theory: An Introduction. New York: Palgrave Macmillan.
• Hoffman, J. & Grahaman, P. (2009). Introduction to Political Theory. England: Pearson Education Limited.
• Mukherjee, S. & Ramaswamy, S. (2011). A History of Political Thought: Plato to Marx. New Delhi: PHI Learning Private
Limited.
• Sabine, G.H. & Thorson, T.L. (1973). A History of Political Theory. New Delhi: Oxford and IBH Publishing Co. PVT LTD.
• Varma, S.P. (2006). Modern Political Theory. New Delhi: Vikas Publishing House PVT LTD.