Subrata Ramaswamy - A History of Political Thought: Plato to Marx

A History of Political Thought

Plato to Marx

SECOND EDITION

SUBRATA MUKHERJEE

Former Professor and Head
Department of Political Science

University of Delhi

and

SUSHILA RAMASWAMY

Associate Professor

Department of Political Science

Jesus and Mary College, New Delhi

Delhi-110092

2013

A HISTORY OF POLITICAL THOUGHT: Plato to Marx, Second Edition

Subrata Mukherjee and Sushila Ramaswamy

2011 by PHI Learning Private Limited, Delhi. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form, by mimeograph or any other means, without permission in writing from the publisher.

ISBN-978-81-203-4389-4

The export rights of this book are vested solely with the publisher.

Seventeenth Printing (Second Edition) .................. .................. .................. January, 2012

Published by Asoke K. Ghosh, PH I Learning Private Limited, Rimjhim House, 111, Patparganj Industrial Estate , Delhi-110092 and Printed by Rajkamal Electric Press, Plot No. 2, Phase IV, HSIDC, Kundli-131028.

To
the memory of
Prof. George H. Sabine

Contents

......... ix

......... xi

......... 153

Changing Context of Words and Its Implication for
Political Theory .........

Key Theoretical Concepts in Political Theory .........

Intellectual Influences Responsible for the
Decline of Political Theory .........

Behaviouralism .........

Criticism of Behaviouralism .........

Is Political Theory Dead? .........

Revival of Political Theory .........

Berlins Views on Political Theory .........

Wolins Defence of the Classical Political Tradition .........

Kuhns Seminal Contribution .........

Post-behaviouralism and Neobehaviouralism .........

Why is the Classical Tradition Important? .........

How to Study the Classics .........

Limitations of the Classical Tradition .........

Conclusion .........

2. ......... 54100

Life Sketch .........

Platos Corpus .........

Context of the Republic .........

Philosopher Ruler .........

Justice .........

Education .........

Community of Wives and Property .........

Regeneration of the Ideal .........

Platos Second-best State .........

Is Plato a Forerunner of Modern Totalitarianism,
or the First Fascist? .........

Conclusion .........

3. ......... 101147

Life Sketch .........

Aristotles Corpus .........

Critique of Plato .........

Conception of Human Nature and State .........

Nature of Happiness or Eudaimonia .........

Household (Slaves, Women and Property) .........

Rule of Law and Constitution .........

Conclusion .........

4. ......... 148179

Life Sketch .........

Renaissance and Its Impact .........

Machiavellis Political Theory .........

Science of Statecraft .........

Conclusion .........

5. ......... 180206

Life Sketch .........

Developments in Science and Their Influence on Hobbes .........

Hobbes Political Philosophy .........

Human Nature .........

Women and the Gender Question .........

Conclusion .........

6. ......... 207234

Life Sketch .........

Locke and the Glorious Revolution .........

Lockes Political Theory .........

Conclusion .........

7. ......... 235263

Life Sketch .........

Enlightenment .........

Rousseaus Political Philosophy .........

Analysis of Inequality .........

Institution of Private Property .........

Civil Society .........

General Will and Individual Freedom .........

Role of the Legislator .........

Critique of Liberal Representative Government .........

Federation of Nations for World Peace .........

Women and Family .........

Conclusion .........

8. ......... 264286

Life Sketch .........

Political Ideas .........

Philosophy of History .........

Notion of Perpetual Peace and Cosmopolitanism .........

Kant and Hegel .........

Conclusion .........

9. ......... 287309

Life Sketch .........

French Revolution and England .........

Political Ideas .........

Criticism of the French Revolution .........

Critique of Natural Rights and Contract .........

Limits of Reason .........

Citizenship and Democracy .........

Representation and Pitkins Analysis .........

Religion and Toleration .........

The Actual Revolutionary Process and Burke .........

The Burke-Paine Debate .........

Conclusion .........

10. ......... 310342

Life Sketch .........

Meaning of Utilitarianism .........

The Modern State .........

Economic Ideas .........

Notion of Liberty, Rights and Law .........

Women and Gender Equality .........

As a Humanist .........

Conclusion .........

11. ......... 343372

Life Sketch .........

Price and the Suffrage Question .........

Wollstonecraft and Contemporary Feminists .........

Conclusion .........

12. ......... 373405

Life Sketch .........

Importance of Reason .........

Philosophy of History .........

Philosophy of Right .........

Dialectics .........

Poppers Critique .........

Conclusion .........

13. ......... 406434

Life Sketch .........

Critique of Utilitarianism .........

Defence of Individual Freedom and Individuality .........

Equality within the Family and between the Sexes .........

Democracy and Representative Government .........

Economy and State .........

On India .........

Conclusion .........

14. ......... 435477

Life Sketch .........

Marx as a Poet .........

Marxs Doctoral Dissertation .........

Dialectics .........

Materialism and History .........

Economic Determinism .........

Class Struggle and Social Change .........

Analysis of Capitalism .........

Assessment of Marxs Predictions .........

Analysis of the State .........

Dictatorship of the Proletariat .........

Revisionism, Russian Revolution and
Dictatorship of the Proletariat .........

Inadequacies in the Marxist Theory of the State .........

Women and the Gender Question .........

The Asiatic Mode of Production .........

On India .........

Conclusion .........

......... 479509

......... 511526

......... 527547

......... 549557

......... 559563

Preface

This book now in its second edition was first published in 1999, and since then has seen several reprints. We thought that it is appropriate to revise the book incorporating the topics added in the revised course curriculum. The new edition contains two new chapters on Mary Wollstonecraft and Immanuel Kant and an Appendix on John Rawls, who is credited for reviving the normative classical tradition in political theory in the post-Second World War in the twentieth century. The views of some of recent commentators like Carole Pateman have also been incorporated.

Our students have been greatly helpful in bringing to our notice the portions that need greater clarity and elaboration and we would like to thank them all.

Subrata Mukherjee

Sushila Ramaswamy

Preface to the First Edition

Political theory is one of the core areas of Political Science. Many argue that the entire edifice of the discipline is based on it as no comprehension of any other area in any meaningful manner is possible without an understanding of political theory. In recent years, along with the traditional emphasis on Western political theory, there has been growing interest in non-European sources of political theory. Confucianism and ancient Indian political tradition with special reference to Kautilya are increasingly getting more recognition. Added to this is a renaissance in political theory in the West as there are more participants in the debate today than at any other time in history. Today nobody talks of the death or decline of political theory though there is a realization, as observed by Walzer, that political theory is some kind of alienated politics since participants in the debate have marginal or perhaps no impact on policy makers or the process of policy making except for the Neo-Conservatives in the United States.