Comparing Political Philosophy Theories

Comparing Political Philosophy Theories

June 12, 2013

PHI/105

The social contract or contractarian theory is most strongly associated with Thomas Hobbes, John Locke, and Jean-Jacques Rousseau. This theory begins with the notion of a “state of nature” and the idea is that the state of nature does not have a government or similar social institution that provides security, public order, and other public goods. Individuals would have to resort to self-help to resolve disputes. The insecurity that characterizes the state of nature creates the motivation to enter into a social contract or social compact. The contractarian theory is a branch of social contract and was developed by Thomas Scanlon. The term “contractarianism” applies to theories that focus on self-interest; a contractarian justification for civil society would attempt to show that cooperation with government is in the interest of each citizen.

Classical liberalism or libertarianism. Classical liberals regard the economic liberties as having great importance, however, they are not really regarded as genuine basic liberties. Classical liberals recognize that freedom of economic contract and rights of property differ from basic liberties in that they can be restricted for reasons other than maintaining others’ basic liberties and rightsto equal opportunities. Libertarians reject the idea of public good and regard political power as a private power, to be supplied to people pursuant to private contracts in proportion to their willingness and ability to pay. The early theoreticians were the levelers during the English Revolution and philosopher John Locke.

Marxism , which is also called the philosophy of dialectical materialism, is based on the writings of Karl Marx, 19th century economist and humanist philosopher. There are many different aspects of Marxism; it contains an interpretation of history, an analysis of economics, certain political positions, and other elements as well. Marxism is a...