Concepts – the Building Blocks of Thought

All theoretical thinking is grounded in assumptions about the meaning of core concepts. This is true for political theorizing, too. When you read a political thinker, pay particular attention to how s/he defines the concepts underlying the argument s/he makes. Not all thinkers are equally systematic, though, so don’t expect every thinker to address each of the concepts below.
  1. Human Nature (e.g., self-interested, other-oriented, benevolent, hurtful?)
  2. The Individual (e.g., independent of state/society or a creature of it?)
  3. Genesis of Society (e.g., natural [organic] or created by humans, role and nature of consent?)
  4. Genesis of the State (e.g., natural [organic] or created by humans, role and nature of consent?)
  5. Freedom/Liberty
    - freedom "from…" or freedom "to…"?
    - what counts as an obstacle to freedom?
    - relationship between the government and freedom?
  6. Equality
    - Procedural (e.g., political, legal?)
    - substantive (e.g., social, economic, moral? religious?)
    - relationship between the government and equality?
  7. Rights (e.g., who has them, what are they, whence they come?)
  8. Space (e.g., importance of a frontier, relationship between territory and governance)
  9. Interest(s) (e.g., is there a public interest? If so, what or who defines it? Is it constant/enduring, or does it vary over time and context?)
  10. Structure of Government (e.g., importance of architecture and design, who participates, role of participants, role of representatives, relationship between citizens and government?)
  11. The End(s) -- Goals/Purposes -- of Government (e.g., what is the job of government?)

All political thought deals, to a greater or lesser extent, with at least some of the concepts above.  Generally speaking, the more systematic the thinker, the more likely s/he is to grapple with a broader array of concepts.  As you read the thinkers we treat this semester, pay attention to how they define the concepts noted here.  Not only will this help you flesh out the substance of their thought, but it will also allow you to compare them, one to another, and identify similarities and differences among them.

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