Plato, Locke, Hegel and Marx

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Political Philosophy: Plato, Locke, Hegel and Marx
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Political Philosophy: Plato, Locke, Hegel and Marx
According to Teichmann and Evans, "Philosophy is a study of problems which are ultimate, abstract and very general. These problems are concerned with the nature of existence, knowledge, morality, reason and human purpose." This paper focuses on political philosophy theories that touch on property rights as portrayed by a number of philosophers, namely Plato, Locke, Hegel and Marx. All of these thinkers have offered their different views and opinions regarding property rights within a communal setting. They mostly focused on whether property, as a measure of wealth and production capability could be utilized or dissipated by a section of or groupings of people in the society at the expense of others. They also described their views of how a person's property could be dispersed or distributed among heirs especially following their (the owner's) passing over. It is well understood that these philosophers meticulously express well-grounded perceptions for the justification of property as institutions. This paper establishes that theories of property rights in fact form a highly significant area of the subject of ‘social sciences' as a whole.[Teichmann, J. and Evans, C.K. Philosophy: A Beginner's Guide. Blackwell Publishing. 1999]
The idea of political philosophy developed because of an evident quest among people in civilized societies to seek ideal social intergration in modern and model states or nations. Political philosophers, as such became interested in the operations and correlation of social systems and economic behavior trends among individuals, which form the backbone of a nation's economy. In addition to the philosophers mentioned in this paper, many other great minds have engaged in the expressing of views regarding the modeling of diverse political theories of ‘Property rights'. All the same, not a single philosophy of property rights has been universally adopted, accepted or acclaimed.
Plato (a prehistoric Greek philosopher) to begin with, came up with philosophy that was against property ownership by the noble or ruling class. Reviewing his philosophy calls for consideration of the social context of the period in which he lived. A student of Socrates, Plato faced a number of challenges prior to the development of his political philosophy. He was considerably ridiculed for allegedly ‘corrupting' young people and not believing in the ‘gods' that the people believed in. such social challenges greatly influenced his school of thought. In his piece of work, “The Republic”, Plato strives to define his idea of justice in response to the Greek understanding of the same. In light of this fact, it proves important to mention that the Greek word ‘Dikaisuvnh' that was used at the time referred to “a state of him who is as he ought to be, righteousness, virtue that gives each it's due or the condition favourable to God” . As a result, there arises meaning to “Socratic Questioning” to what the strong and mighty determined as ‘right'. For instance, justice was considered as “helping your friends and harming your enemies”. Plato undoubtedly thought that justice involved an individual's understanding in stipulations of views held by the larger society. Additionally, Plato saw the organization of a ‘politically correct' state as that of a person's body with mind or heart, soul and body. He observed a level of structure and coordination among groupings of people within society and discord from others that were of different social status. This undoubtedly contributed to his viewpoint of some people being regarded as lesser to others.[ Plato - His Philosophy and his life. 2014.] [Ibid,.] [Harrison-Barbet, A. Mastering Philosophy. Palgrave. 2001]
John Locke is another eminent philosopher, who advocated for absolute freedom and equality as a fundamental element of a model civilized society. In direct reference to the way people should use their properties, Locke believes that in a natural setting, people are not selfish and that they can and should work for upholding the good of others. Locke's ideology however integrates the aspect of governance with individuals' property rights. In particular, it establishes the need for ‘democracy' wherein the rule of the majority is upheld. This in turn elaborates a view of property right out of the natural setting in which there lacks civil authority and it was up to individuals to attempt to endorse judgment in cases where their property rights were at stake.[Ibid,.]
In general, Locke believed that morality- in a natural form ought to be the guiding principle of people's behavior in relation to the use or dispersal of property as a means of preservation instinct. Locke depicts that property determines an important aspect of people's lives and should be protected. He indicates that no one person bears the rightful capacity to harm another by infringing encroaching upon property under his or her possession.[Tully, J. An Approach to Political Philosophy: Locke in Contexts. Cambridge University Press, p. 128. 2007]
This paper, in a true to form manner establishes notable limitations in Locke's philosophy. First, it is observable that Locke insinuates a situation where a person bears the right to punish another who infringes his or her property rights. Additionally, his general view has little consideration for the socially and economically weak in a society. This represents a situation of prejudice that emphasizes the significance of civil authority. As a Christian, Locke believed in God, and consequently, that man was obliged to make the best of earthly resources for his own sustainment, and so social and economic power was to be held with people that are industrious, an unambiguous capitalist view. This demonstrated highlighting of people's liberties as well as self-possessions as property of which one had rights of owning, giving Locke's theory of property a somewhat liberal approach. According to this philosophy, it remains the responsibility of individuals to invest their efforts in obtaining of property for purposes of making their lives more meaningful and valuable. In other words, Locke thought that Property held by a person is equated to amount of effort or labor invested therein. He called attention to activities of tilling and cultivating land as forms of earning the right to own property, which is subject to protection by the government. The aspect of ‘Economic Modernity' is evident in Locke's philosophy in that property valuable labor and the presence of money, which coexist in symmetry. Still, money cannot enable any man to circumvent the reality of natural law. Nevertheless, every person possesses property as per the definitions of this philosopher's theory, considering that ultimate forces to be reckoned with entail God and nature. Locke maintained that common good is of outmost importance and that people must strive to help each other within a society. Locke is of the opinion that people's desire to protect their property is the main cause behind the establishment of governance ‘by and for the people' within a given society. In other words, he refutes the being of legitimate for any government formed without consent of the majority. This theory of democracy has had major influences on modern world societies. Nevertheless, Locke's school of thought is seemingly not applicable on a trans-global platform since it is established on a ‘Christian' perspective and condemns those who fail to comprehend the Christian ‘laws' of God.[Reeve C. Philosopher Kings. Hackett Publishing. 1988.] [Forster, John Locke's politics of moral consensus.]
Karl Marx, on the other hand bore the opinion that all people are equal. He believed that elements of class or heredity were of no significance. In one way or another, he took up with Hegel's ideologies; his philosophy is associated with far-reaching thoughts that greatly influenced opposition movements to the capitalist system and structure. He places much focus on the welfare of those that are underprivileged. The theories of Marks also emphasize the importance of workers as the backbone of any given economy. His political philosophy is characterized by a set of elemental elements with the aim of alleviating social and political strife among people. He strives to identify the root causes of social problems albeit basing on abstract reasoning but establishing reasonable foundation for understanding. Overall, Marx's theories of political philosophy are against materialistic capitalism and as he vouches for socialist societies. Still, noteworthy significance rests in his appeal for the upholding of human values in contrast to materialistic gain. Marx also agreed with Hegel's idea or dialectic that history's course occurs as a process of opposing classes of people and not nations as the former put it.[Strauss, L. and Cropsey, J. History of political philosophy. Chicago: University of Chicago Press. 1987]
Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel was another prominent philosopher of the 19th century. His view regarding politics and structure in the society greatly influenced Marx's ideologies, especially in terms of the basis of social and political challenges responsible for existence of disparate social classes. Hegel is yet another notable philosopher (same as Marx) whose political philosophy bears great relevance to the stru...