Representative Western Political Thinkers

Paper Code: 
POL 511
Credits: 
3
Contact Hours: 
45.00
Max. Marks: 
10.00
Objective: 

This paper studies the classical tradition in Political Theory from Plato to Green with the view to understand how the Great Masters explained and analyzed political events and problems of their times and prescribed solutions. The course intends to generate a critical awareness about the traditions of political thought in the West.

7.00
Unit I: 

Plato (Concept of Justice& Ideal State, Views on Education, Communism of Wives and Property, Plato’s second best state)

10.00
Unit II: 

Aristotle (Criticism of Plato; Slavery, Citizenship, Concept of Best State; Theory of Revolution)

8.00
Unit III: 

Niccollo Machiavelli (Human Nature, Political ideas : Monarchy; National sovereignty; Statecraft, Church vs. State, as a modern thinker)

Thomas Hobbes( Natural Laws, Social Contract , State)

10.00
Unit IV: 

John Locke (Ideas on Natural rights with reference to property, Social Contract, limited State, Theory of Consent)

Jean Jacques Rousseau (State of Nature, Social Contract, General Will)

10.00
Unit V: 

George Wilhelm Fredrick Hegel (Dialectics & Theory of State)

Thomas Hill Green (Theory of State, Resistance to State & War)

Essential Readings: 
  • CL Wayper, Political Thought, Mac Milan, New Delhi,1995
  •  Subrata Mukherjee, History of Political Thought: Plato to Marx,Prentice Hall of India,New Delhi, 2003
  • JP Suda, History of Political Thought: (Vol. I&II),, K. Nath & Co., Meerut,1989
  • Bhikhu Parekh  and Thomas Pantham, Political Discourse: Explorations in Indian and Western Political Thought,  Sage Publications, New Delhi, 1987

 

References: 
  • Ian Adams and R. W Dyson., 2004, Fifty Great Political Thinkers, Routledge, London
  • David Boucher and Paul Kelly, 2003, Political Thinkers,Oxford University Press, Oxford
  • W.T.Jones. (series editor), 1959, Masters of Political Thought, (Vols.2 & 3), George Harrap & Co, London
  •  GH Sabine, History of Political Theory, Oxford and IBH Publishing Co. Pvt. Ltd., New Delhi,1997
  • Nelson Brian R,Western Political Thought, Second Edition, Pearson Education, New Delhi,2006
  • E. Barker, Greek Political Theory : Plato and His Predecessors, Methuen, London, 1947
  • Brian R. Nelson, Western Political Thought, Pearson, Delhi, 2004.
Academic Year: 
2018-19
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