Blackwell Reference Online

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P olitical philosophy Political philosophy is distinguished from political science on the grounds that political science is empirical and descriptive, explaining how government in fact works, while political philosophy is normative , establishing the norms or ideal standards that prescribe how governments ought to work. In fact, the boundary between the two fields is not clear. Political theory includes both empirical and normative investigations. Contemporary political philosophers bring analytic skill and ethical commitment to their work. They seek theoretical insight into basic political concepts, such as justice, equality, liberty, democracy, nationalism , the state, power, authority, citizenship, rights , and obligations , and look for rational grounds to accept or reject particular political institutions. Political philosophers assess existing political institutions and ideologies and in some cases seek to justify alternative political and social systems if existing arrangements are unacceptable. Plato 's Republic remains the major classic. Other prominent political philosophers include Aristotle, Machiavelli, Hobbes, Locke, Hume, Rousseau, Kant, Burke, Hegel, Mill , and Marx. Much recent discussion in political philosophy has responded to the work of John Rawls and Robert Nozick. A rigid demarcation between political and social philosophy is impossible, ... log in or subscribe to read full text