The Prince And Niccolò Machiavelli And Thomas Hobbes

1536 Words7 Pages
Political philosophy is defined as the study of fundamental questions that arise when people think about the state, government, politics, liberty, and justice. The founder of western philosophy, Socrates explores the ideas of government, ethics and liberty. The classical Greek philosopher focused on the individual and the connection between the freedom and t individuality. His exploration and questions challenged other to do the same in many other aspects of life. Socrates defiance of the structure and order of Athens at the time inspired other Philosophers to create ideas about government and authority such as Niccolò Machiavelli and Thomas Hobbes. Machiavelli was an Italian philosopher during the Renaissance that wrote The Prince as a guide to the Governor of Florence, Lorenzo De Medici who needed to regain control and power. Thomas Hobbes, a British philosopher, wrote the famous Leviathan during the English Civil war. The current political state of England is reflected in his work and his seen through the way Hobbes perceives humans. These philosophers have taken the earliest ideas of Socrates and transformed them into their own works about achieving and sustaining power, constructing political authority and natural human behavior. Socrates would respond with his own positive and negatives about each of the theorists ideas. They both feature ideas that are aligned with Socrates’ beliefs however also contain ideas that socrates would disagree with. The parts of their