Most Famous Political Philosophers
Political philosophy is the branch of philosophy concerned with the foundations of political authority, justice, liberty, equality, citizenship, and the legitimate use of power. As a recognisable tradition it begins with the Greeks, particularly Plato's Republic and Aristotle's Politics, and runs through medieval theological politics, the social contract theorists of the early modern period, the liberal and socialist traditions of the 19th century, and contemporary debates over rights, justice, and democracy. Major figures across the tradition include Plato, Aristotle, Augustine, Aquinas, Machiavelli, Hobbes, Locke, Rousseau, Hegel, Marx, Mill, Rawls, and Arendt. Political philosophy borders on ethics on one side and on political theory and law on the other. It remains one of the most active branches of contemporary philosophy.
Philosophers in this tradition
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Niccolo Machiavelli
Niccolo Machiavelli was an Italian Renaissance diplomat, historian, and political philosopher of the late 15th and early 16th centuries, often described as the founder of modern...
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Thomas Hobbes
Thomas Hobbes was a 17th-century English philosopher whose 1651 book Leviathan is one of the founding texts of modern political philosophy and social contract theory. Writing du...
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John Rawls
John Rawls was a 20th-century American political philosopher whose 1971 book A Theory of Justice is the most influential work of political philosophy of the post-war era. The bo...
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Edmund Burke
Edmund Burke was an Irish-born British statesman and political philosopher, often regarded as the founder of modern conservatism. As a member of Parliament he supported concilia...
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Alexis de Tocqueville
Alexis de Tocqueville was a French aristocrat, political philosopher, and historian. After a long study tour of the United States, undertaken nominally to examine its prison sys...
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Hugo Grotius
Hugo Grotius was a Dutch jurist and philosopher who is widely regarded as the founder of modern international law. Against the religious and dynastic justifications for war that...