The World We Live In — Introduction to Issue 3: Political Philosophy
The flaws of our political system have always run deep, but in the last few weeks they’ve become glaringly obvious—no one is happy with our system. Our representatives consistently fail at making meaningful reform; our rights are being curtailed by groups who lack accountability; and the pandemic continues to wreak havoc on our healthcare, education, and economic systems. In America, Joe Biden recently hit a 33% approval rating, his lowest ever score.
Therefore, it makes sense to ask — How do we address these problems? What does it take to change our political system? What does it mean to change it?
Different philosophers over millennia have offered their advice. Plato’s Republic, Machiavelli’s The Prince, Hobbes’ Leviathan, and Marx’s Das Kapital are a few examples of philosophers attempting to make their claims in the field of Political Philosophy, the topic of this release. Of the many branches of philosophy, Political Philosophy is one of the most grounded. Debates about existence and causation have their place, but it is in the arena of political philosophy where thoughts become action. Athenian democracy, the foundation of western government, was directly challenged by Plato as being too malleable. The Declaration of Independence’s claim to “life, liberty, and pursuit of happiness” comes from Locke’s Two Treatises of Government, written across the Atlantic and a century earlier. Karl Marx was a philosopher, not a general nor a politician, and yet it is his writings that underlie the creation of the Soviet Union, China, and Cuba.
Therefore, it is necessary to understand Political Philosophy for what it is, a tool for legitimate societal change. This Issue of Conundrum is focused on understanding what our political systems should (and shouldn’t) look like, in the areas of war, bureaucracy, and any other manifestation of political power.
One topic was the most popular among our writers—Utopias and Dystopias. The question of what it takes to create the best—or worst—world gives a blank slate to create an “absolute”, an irregular occurrence in a field constantly questioning itself.
For one writer, the political philosophy of Anarchism was put on the stand. In an analysis of its meaning and consequences, the writer comes to the conclusion that this anti-government outlook is in fact the most dystopic of all political systems. For another writer, Kurt Vonnegut’s short story “2 B R 0 2 B” is a subject of critique. In analyzing whether Vonnuegut’s fictional society is a Utopian paradise or murderous bureaucracy, they look through the contrasting lens of Utilitarianism and Deontology, figuring out how the government holds up under scrutiny from both systems. Another writer chose to analyze Dystopian Fiction’s role as a literary genre, and how its oversaturation and bastardization have made it “another tool in enforcing the neoliberal world order”. In other areas, one writer discusses the Ethics of War. With the question, “What is worth the cost of human lives?”, they find war to be an unjustified act in all circumstances. Lastly, an analysis is made of Thomas Hobbes’ Leviathan. It questions Hobbes’ eagerness for an all-powerful king, and his presumption that all human beings are inherently selfish.
After reading this issue, we hope that these articles provide some insight into the field of Political Philosophy. If all goes well, the ideas brought up in these works will resonate with you, and you’ll have a greater desire to question what it means to participate in our political system. We hope you enjoy reading these articles.
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