Formation of Political Theories Using Ideas of Great Philosophers

Politics aid in shaping decisions that affect all aspects of our lives. To begin with, political theory is the study of concepts that have shaped our politics and the enduring questions that individuals are concerned about within society. Some of the issues usually addressed in politics are justice, a system of governance, rights, and public safety. Political thinking affects individuals’ reasoning because it drives varied ideas that can create a multitude of solutions. For instance, my political theory of what is justice was influenced by Plato’s understanding of justice. According to Plato, during the conversation with Socrates, Cephalus describes justice as giving what is owed, paying debts, and being honest. Thus, for justice to hold, the aspect of truth must always exist. There is no justice without the element of truth. In this paper, I will design my political theory using ideas from Plato, Locke, and other great thinkers.

The issue of the right form of governance has been at the helm of political discussions. Many political views are focused on the democratic system of governance. For instance, my political theory on a democratic system as the best form of governance has been shaped by Plato’s perception of a democratic form of government. Though Plato believes that democracy can easily turn into anarchy through the abuse of freedom and unnecessary desires, a democratic system can give a voice to the un-heard, and when used in moderation, freedom can give these voices a chance to make changes in society where they are being mistreated. Based on this, democracy originates when the contributions of everyone are accounted for regardless of social status, race, gender, and age in policymaking and other government activities. For democracy to exist, everyone should have an equal opportunity in the affairs of government relations.

Democracy is the best form of governance because it allows everyone to exercise their constitutional rights in the operations of a country. In a democratic system, there is a possibility for fair representations in various aspects dealing with governance. Democracy is a system where everyone is allowed to participate in the decision-making process, especially in issues to do with policies affecting civilians’ lives. Therefore, in a democratic form of governance, every citizen should engage in any and all government operations. For example, when a government wants to make a certain budget plan, the citizens should be informed throughout the entire process and allowed to contribute to the allocation of funds. Thus, it is only in a democratic system that citizens are allowed to give their opinions on the projects to be funded.

Justice is arguably the most important moral and political concept. My political theory of justice as a product of truth was influenced by Cephalus’ understanding that justice is expressing the truth and paying one’s debt. Justice is a virtue creating a rational order with each part performing its appropriate purpose and not interfering with the proper functioning of the other part. In other words, justice should result in a neutral point where two people involved get proper consequences, whether that be positive or negative. For justice to be served in a pressing issue, truth should always prevail, hence leading to fairness. For this reason, truth is an important aspect of justice to be realized in any system.

Justice is a product of truth where an individual should receive proper consequences in any matter. Justice is only possible when the truth takes over every aspect. In addition, in terms of natural law, justice is imperative for equal treatment of persons under the law in a social setting governed by truth. As part of the law, most people can agree on basics attributes of justice such as no murder or no stealing, and aspects of individual responsibility. It is worth noting that these tenets of ethics contribute to the elements of justice. For instance, murder is unethical and an injustice, even to an immoral person. Thus, in as much as our rights are pre-legal and are an extension of the virtues of being human, the truth of the matter is that every human deserves to be treated with dignity and deserves a fair trial.

Communities progress and maintain peace when justice is valued. Individuals want to be in a society where justice is considered a virtue. An example involves justice achieved when the when truth aids in finding an offender of a crime guilty (with evidence) and punished, and the victim is treated fairly and/or compensated. In a fairground, where truth controls all aspects, justice is attained, and the people get their rights. For instance, when government officials elected by the people embrace truth and fairness, they should only do what is beneficial for the people as provided in the constitution, not anything for personal gain. These officials should not engage in any form of corruption or illegal activities that will offset the anticipated justice.

A different political theory is that the existence of rights in a government is a form of justice. The rights of people, as established in the constitution, aims at the happiness of a political community. The rights tend to honor the people based on their worth as described by the elites making the laws and policies. The fulfillment of the provided rights is a form of justice that people would be glad to get. However, it can be said that failure to respect and value the provided rights can be termed as injustice. To support my position in terms of justice, Aristotle believes that the constitution is among the most important tenets of justice.

A system of justice and rights is required for any government to operate for the common interest of everyone. It is extremely challenging for a government to work without a clear outline of the justice and rights of people. Thus, Aristotle significantly influenced my political theory of rights as a strong bond with the government. Aristotle posits that rights are naturally established with the government and state because all people should be free in any state. For instance, a government develops a constitution with distinct aspects, including the rights of the citizens. In turn, the rights cannot exist in an un-structured government because the constitution is not defined effectively.

Moreover, there is a bond between people and their governments, which allows for a principle model in a political society. First, it is worth noting that there is no government without people, whereas the people need the government to rule them and protect essential aspects such as rights. The government provides an outline of rights, which the people should enjoy. That said, the government then provides a framework to make sure that people do not abuse the provided rights. Another important aspect is that people usually seek for freedom, and it is only guaranteed if there are rights, therefore, it is hard to experience freedom without well-crafted rights. For instance, most people in a given country depends on the provided rights to seek for freedom in various aspects. Thus, there exist a strong link between people, government, and rights.

Public safety is among the most important indicators of good or bad governance. Locke influenced my political theory of public safety. According to Locke, the social contract is formed in order for the sovereign to preserve and enforce laws of nature. The main purpose of government is to protect the rights of man. Public safety is a state where everyone upholds and understands the value of peace. In such a situation, there is public knowledge on the value of peaceful coexistence among everyone regardless of gender, race, or social status. It means that people do not have the will to violence, which can offset or result in negative public safety. On the contrary, issues such as crime, war, and robbery, among others, normally contributes to the negative public safety because of the will to violence. Thus, when people value peace, they will not engage in such harmful activities, which affects public safety.

Political theory has contributed to a lot of insight into the world of politics. Philosophers like Plato, Aristotle, and Locke have greatly influenced my understanding of aspects such as justice, forms of government, rights, and public safety. First, justice is a product of truth where one should get proper consequences in any matter. Truth is an important aspect of the formulation of justice in any political system. Additionally, rights have a strong bond with the government, meaning that rights cannot exist without it. In terms of democracy, it exists when the contribution of everyone is accounted for regardless of social status, race, gender, and age in policymaking and other government activities. Therefore, philosophers shape the ideologies that exist in politics and other fields