Page 4 - DPOL201_WESTERN_POLITICAL_THOUGHT_ENGLISH

SYLLABUS

Western Political Thought

Objectives
1. This paper studies the classical tradition in political theory from Plato to Rawls with the view to understand how the great
Masters explained and analyzed political events and problems of their time and prescribed solutions.
2. The paper aims at the comparison of the ideas of different Political philosophers and theorists.
3. The legacy of the thinkers is explained with a view to establish the continuity and change within the Western political
tradition.

Sr. No. Description

1 Plato: Republic, ideal state: theory of justice, communism, education

2 Aristotle: Organic theory of state, classification of states, theory of revolution

3 Niccolo Machiavelli: Separation of ethics from politics, State craft

4 Thomas Hobbes: Individualism, social contract

5 John Locke: State of nature and Natural rights and property, Social contract theory

6 Jean-Jacques Rousseau: Human nature, social contract, general will

7 Jeremy Bentham: Utilitarianism, theory of state and government

8 Friedrich Hegel: Dialectics, theory of state and freedom

9 Karl Marx: Historical materialism and class struggle, Dialectical materialism, Theory of surplus value

10 John Stuart Mill: Theory of liberty, representative government