Medieval Political Thought
How did Augustine of Hippo's and Thomas Aquinas' views of the role of human free will in the process of salvation shape their different views of political theory?
For Augustine, there could be two cities -- the City of Man, which would essentially be a society without grace or goodness -- and the City of God, which would be a society that conformed to the will of God, participated with grace, and worked to perfect itself in accordance with the Commandments of God. One would be an imperfect society (the former) and the other would be a perfect society. Essentially, the City of Man is a system in which all endeavors are geared towards earthly happiness whereas in the City of God, endeavors are geared towards a spiritual happiness with God, enjoyed fully in the next life if one is good and dies in the state of grace with God in his soul.[footnoteRef:1] [1: Augustine, City of God, transl. Marcus Dods (Hendrickston, 2009), 619.]
Aquinas never really commented on political thought explicitly, though he did identify Eternal Law (God's commandments, or God's will) as the fundamental basis of all human law or natural law. This was based on the concept of the necessity -- God's eternal law being necessary for salvation.[footnoteRef:2] Natural law, according to Aquinas could not be at odds with God's law since God created nature and the law that governs it. [2: Aquinas, Commentary on Nichomachean Ethics (Dumb Ox Books, 1993), 364.]
For both, free will was the directive that led people to do what was right or wrong. Augustine viewed sin as misplaced love -- for example, sins of lust or sins of stealing were rooted in a love of pleasure or in a love of goods. Augustine held that true love should be placed in God and in the goodness of God in order for humans to really be happy. Building on the idea of Aristotle that happiness is the ultimate end...
Politics Modern Political Thought The transition from a feudal serf economy to a capitalist market economy was one of the fundamental shifts which have produced modernity as we know it. This essay aims to understand how the authors of The Prince and Leviathan, Niccolo Machiavelli and Thomas Hobbes would think about the transition and how these two great minds would relate to the issue of capitalism. Capitalism is a funny game that
However, the act only applied to larger towns and the rural districts were still left under the administrative control of the Justices of the Peace until the establishment of elected county councils in 1888. Even though it was quite inadequate for the immediate needs of the common peoples of England, this act made it possible for main urban areas to form their own powerful authority, subject to popular control,
A change of leadership and divisive social forces might pressure such hatreds into re-erupting, but these hatreds are still historical 'products.' A balance between history and psychology is needed to fully understand why mass political atrocities occur. A diffusion of responsibility during the action such as a war or a collective lynching can be a facilitating factor, but the social and historical context must be acknowledged. An authority that validates
Man and the Right Government Plato's work has been much criticized as class bound, as many thought it reflected the moral and aesthetic standards of an elite in a civilization were slavery was a natural thing for many. Plato tries to depict the advantages of the rule of society by a high-minded minority. After describing the first political utopia of the western world, Plato starts analyzing the types of government that
Medieval Europe and the Evolution of the Church State How Constantine's Deception lead to a Holy Roman Empire And the virtual collapse of the Christian church The Decline of the Roman empire and the rise of tribal powers Constantine and his "conversion" o The Edict of Milan grants legal rights to Christians o The Council of Nicea The first church council conducted under the governmental oversight of the Roman empire. Diocletian reorganized the empire in attempts to rebuild
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