What is Political thought?
The works of some ancient thinkers are still discussed today, like Aristotle and Plato. To further describe the characteristics of Ancient Political Thought, we must define it first.
What is Political thought? Also known as Political theory is the study of topics such as politics, liberty, justice, property, rights, law, and the enforcement of laws by the authority. Of what they are, if they are needed, what makes a government legitimate, what rights and freedoms it should protect, what form it should take, what the law is, and what duties citizens owe to a legitimate government if any, and when it may legitimately overthrow. It also engages questions of a broader scope, tackling the political nature of phenomena and categories such as identity, culture, sexuality, race, wealth, human-nonhuman relations, ecology, religion, and more. Political Thought is nothing but Political Philosophy. It is the thought or philosophy about various aspects of the state. (“Political Philosophy,” 2020) Ancient is relating to a remote period, to a time early in history, or those living such a period. (“Ancient,” n.d.)
The study of ancient political thought in different cultures reminds us of where we have been before. It lays before us a storehouse of human reflection on politics, political power, justice, and institutions‘ purpose.
The content of Political thought is about the state. Through ancient political thought, one can learn about the evolution of the concept of State and Government. It is about the various concepts in Political Science like State, Justice, Liberty, and Equality. In ancient political thought, one studies about the many ideas as proposed by the significant political thinkers like Plato or Aristotle. The views of political thinkers from time to time.
These characteristics may object that ancient political thought, unlike classical epistemology or moral philosophy, dealt with situations that were so different from anything today that they can have no bearing on us. Of course, the historian has to consider the question of context very carefully. However, one must surely judge each instance on its own merits without blanket preconceptions. One should not rule out a priori the possibility of learning from ancients. Thus, astonishing intellectual achievement in the ancient world. Many, if not most, of the political ideas of the modern world, had their origins there.
The ancients’ central political unit was the polis, and only through understanding the polis can we understand human nature. It is the fundamental values and principles that form a particular society. The modern word ‘political’ derives from the Greek politikos, ‘of, or about, the polis.’ Besides,
“Polis” is the Greek word for city or state; therefore, it is an
excellent study since it was self-sufficient; it was independent and
self-sustaining. Moreover, it encompasses the consideration of all aspects of governance,
citizenship, social order, and personal virtue. It developed different forms of
governance with very different political structures and strengths.
The Bayanihan to Heal as One Act is a response to such urgent need, the swift and efficient implementation of which will secure the success of the measures established by the national government in eradicating the threat to our national survival. This Act is an urgent need to implement measures to address the health scare brought about by the spread of COVID-19 in our land. They include the effective detection of the virus among the populace, prompt testing by health facilities of patients, protection, and access to transportation in favor of our health workers who are at the frontline of this battle, maintenance of availability and pricing of essential and basic commodities for consumers, and provision thereof to those belonging to the vulnerable sectors of society, among others. Thus, Aristotle’s thoughts about the philosophy that shows the scientific evolution of politics concerning the said Act. His philosophy in politics asserts that all communities aim at some good. He thought that the purpose of human beings was to achieve happiness by living virtuously. He also thought that a well-organized political community was essential for individuals living a virtuous and harmonious life. The country was not just an abstract set of laws but a partnership between people and a community where together they could seek the good life. Amidst the ongoing global pandemic, the government made a law that protects and benefits the people for the common good.
Plato’s theories or concepts can justify the Bayanihan We Heal as One-Act. Plato introduces his concept through visual metaphor. Plato’s Theory of Form or Theory of ideas is the only object of study that can provide knowledge. The analogy he used is the sun. The sun represented the highest possible form, which for Plato was the proper understanding of how to live a good life is a piece of essential knowledge. One can obtain therefore the form of the good is that from which everything else derives its usefulness and value just as the sun is the source of light which gives visibility to objects and allows us to see them so too is the form of the good the source of reality and truth which allows us to know things. Paradoxically, the Act’s contents are the government’s response to protect its citizen so that they could live a good life even amidst the worldwide pandemic.
Moreover, Plato’s metaphor of the cave, explains that by thinking we see things with our senses. Thus, the Act also explains the real and dangerous threat of COVID 19 to human health because the authors of the said Act uses Plato’s concept of visual metaphor. They saw a threat of the virus to other countries and used a precise image instead of words to come up with an Act protecting the state and battling the pandemic.