Socio-Political Philosophy- An Introduction
Social and Political Philosophy is a normative pursuit, related to Ethics. Where Ethics focuses on moral value of an individual’s actions, Social and Political Philosophy is interested in values related to groups of individuals,— a community, society, or nation. This branch of philosophy asks questions such as: “What makes a good society?” and “What makes a government legitimate?” The theories of social and political philosophers provide understanding and justification for considerations such as: the relationship between an individual and the government; the just distribution of resources among individuals; the merit of various forms of political structure and government. Issues such as fairness, justice, human rights, and the responsibilities of government arise in the theories advocated by social and political philosophers.
Successful completion of our study of this unit will enable you to:
- Recognize the impact of the philosopher’s view of human nature on proposals made about social order.
- Understand and explain the concept of “social contract theory” from diverging points of view, including those of Thomas Hobbes and John Rawls.
- Explain and contrast the values underlying Liberalism and Socialism.
- Describe the impact of theories put forth by John Locke and John Stuart Mill on present-day democracy.
In our investigation and readings for Social and Political Philosophy, we will encounter the work of these philosophers. You may select a name here to link to a short biography, or you may link to the same information at your first encounter the philosopher’s name in the Course Content sections.
Unit 1 deals with Nature and Scope of Social and Political Philosophy. Philosophy is the study of general and fundamental problems concerning matters such as the nature knowledge, truth, justice, beauty, mind and language.
Unit 2 deals with Basic Concepts: Society, Community, Social group. A society, or a human society, is a group of people involved with each other through persistent relations, or a large social grouping sharing the same geographical or social territory, typically subject to the same political authority and dominant cultural expectations.
Unit 3 deals with Social class and Caste. Classes are found in ‘open’ societies which often-ample opportunities for mobility through achievement. It is important to investigate into the nature of mobility in caste and class to find out how far they confirm to the generalization mentioned by Sorokin.
Unit 4 deals with Ideas of Freedom, equality, justice, liberty. Some two decades earlier, it was proclaimed in the Preamble of the Indian Constitution that the Democratic Republic of India stood committed to securing to all its citizens “Justice, social, economic and political.”
Unit 5 deals with Political Ideas (Forms of Democracy, Meaning and Nature of Secularism, Swaraj and Sarvodaya). Over the millennia, political philosophers have expounded on a variety of political ideologies, or ways governments and societies can be organized.
Unit 1 deals with Nature and Scope of Social and Political Philosophy. Philosophy is the study of general and fundamental problems concerning matters such as the nature knowledge, truth, justice, beauty, mind and language.
Unit 2 deals with Basic Concepts: Society, Community, Social group. A society, or a human society, is a group of people involved with each other through persistent relations, or a large social grouping sharing the same geographical or social territory, typically subject to the same political authority and dominant cultural expectations.
Unit 3 deals with Social class and Caste. Classes are found in ‘open’ societies which often-ample opportunities for mobility through achievement. It is important to investigate into the nature of mobility in caste and class to find out how far they confirm to the generalization mentioned by Sorokin.
Unit 4 deals with Ideas of Freedom, equality, justice, liberty. Some two decades earlier, it was proclaimed in the Preamble of the Indian Constitution that the Democratic Republic of India stood committed to securing to all its citizens “Justice, social, economic and political.”
Unit 5 deals with Political Ideas (Forms of Democracy, Meaning and Nature of Secularism, Swaraj and Sarvodaya). Over the millennia, political philosophers have expounded on a variety of political ideologies, or ways governments and societies can be organized.
Projects
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IntroductionThis present unit deals with the social and political philosophy in all its variegated aspects. It starts with an interesting discussion of the nature of philosophy, its impact on the thought and life of society and its contribution to the development of culture. It covers a detailed study of ideologies such as Democracy, Socialism, Fascism, Theocracy, Communism, and Sarvodaya. Besides, it includes a discussion of the different methods of political action such as Constitutionalism, Revolution, Satyagraha, etc. It also brings out the evil effects of terrorism on political ideologies and processes social development. The book elaborates the processes in which tradition, change, and modernity interact. While discussing the concepts of political philosophy, the book covers an analysis of problems that thwart the development of democratic processes. It also deals with the subject of centralization and decentralization of power in the context of different ideologies like Socialism, Fascism, and Communalism. The problems connected with adult franchises vis-a-vis democratic institutions in society have been discussed in detail. It gives arguments for and against the concepts of communism and western socialism comparing their basic values. The book gives special attention to the concepts of Sarvodaya, Vedantic, Socialism, Classless Society, the relation between individual and the State, bringing out ideas that keep a balance between them and help promote liberty, equality, and fraternity. The book covers the syllabi prescribed in the Indian and State Civil Services Examination. It is of equal interest for the general reader and graduate and post-graduate students of philosophy, political science, and sociology.
Social and Political Philosophy – Overview and Coursework
Social and Political Philosophy is a normative pursuit, related to Ethics. Where Ethics focuses on moral value of an individual’s actions, Social and Political Philosophy is interested in values related to groups of individuals,— a community, society, or nation. This branch of philosophy asks questions such as: “What makes a good society?” and “What makes a government legitimate?” The theories of social and political philosophers provide understanding and justification for considerations such as: the relationship between an individual and the government; the just distribution of resources among individuals; the merit of various forms of political structure and government. Issues such as fairness, justice, human rights, and the responsibilities of government arise in the theories advocated by social and political philosophers.
Objectives
Successful completion of our study of this unit will enable you to:
Recognize the impact of the philosopher’s view of human nature on proposals made about social order.
Understand and explain the concept of “social contract theory” from diverging points of view, including those of Thomas Hobbes and John Rawls.
Explain and contrast the values underlying Liberalism and Socialism.
Describe the impact of theories put forth by John Locke and John Stuart Mill on present-day democracy.
Coursework
The Course Content for this unit provides the primary reading material, links to any additional assigned reading or viewing resources, and assigned coursework. The unit concludes with a test. Material is presented in these subsections:
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Unit 1 part 1Unit 1 deals with Nature and Scope of Social and Political Philosophy. Philosophy is the study of general and fundamental problems concerning matters such as the nature knowledge, truth, justice, beauty, mind and language.
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Unit 1 part 2
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4
Unit 2
Unit 2 deals with Basic Concepts: Society, Community, Social group. A society, or a human society, is a group of people involved with each other through persistent relations, or a large social grouping sharing the same geographical or social territory, typically subject to the same political authority and dominant cultural expectations.
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5
Unit 3 Part 1
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Unit 3 Part 2
Unit 3 Part 2
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Unit 4
Unit 4 deals with Ideas of Freedom, equality, justice, liberty. Some two decades earlier, it was proclaimed in the Preamble of the Indian Constitution that the Democratic Republic of India stood committed to securing to all its citizens “Justice, social, economic and political.”
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8
Unit 5
Unit 5 deals with Political Ideas (Forms of Democracy, Meaning and Nature of Secularism, Swaraj and Sarvodaya). Over the millennia, political philosophers have expounded on a variety of political ideologies, or ways governments and societies can be organized.
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9
Glossary
Society: A society is a group of individuals involved in persistent social interaction, or a large social group sharing the same spatial or social territory, typically subject to the same political authority and dominant cultural expectations.
Organization: An organization or organisation is an entity comprising multiple people, such as an institution or an association, that has a particular purpose. The word is derived from the Greek word organon, which means tool or instrument, musical instrument, and organ.
Culture: Culture is an umbrella term which encompasses the social behavior and norms found in human societies, as well as the knowledge, beliefs, arts, laws, customs, capabilities and habits of the individuals in these groups.
