Political Theories

There have been many political philosophies that have been created, implemented, and analyzed over the course of human history. These philosophies have dealt with the question of how, and under what circumstances and for what purposes, individuals should give over control of their personal freedoms and resources in order to achieve the good life. Out of the many political philosophies, classical liberalism or constitutional democracy, authoritarianism, and communist or fascist totalitarianism, have had and continue to have a tremendous impact on individual citizens as well as whole societies and nations. Each philosophy can be defined very differently, have different goals, and need to meet different conditions in order to thrive.

The political philosophies

of classical liberalism and constitutional democracy are rooted in the similar

core ideas. A constitutional democracy is based on the ideas of classical liberalism. It is also based on laws, and the supreme law being the Constitution. The Constitution creates a system of checks and balances through the separation of powers in order to stop corruption in the government and limits the "tryanny of the majority". Classical liberalism supports the idea that every person has individual rights that pre-exist the state, and that a government should be created to protect those rights, which are life, liberty, and property. It also supports the idea of a free market system, also known as lazzie fair, which creates competition in the economy. The creation of a constitution ensure all of these rights are protected.

There are problems and potentials regarding human nature, social interaction, and the economy that justify the recommendation of classical liberalism and constitutional democracy. In classical liberalism, human nature is to be free and to have individual rights of life, liberty, and property. In this philosophy, individuals are free, equal, but also imperfect and different than one another, leading to potential problems that can arrise in social interaction and economic situations. On the one hand, individual differences make people ethnically, religiously, and idealogically diverse, and can add to the community through cooperation and understanding, but on the other hand, the same differences can lead to problems such as hate and conflict. Also economic competition can lead advancement in technology, and good economy, but again can lead to conflict. Since individuals are free, and have the right to property, conflicts can arrise when one person tries to take another persons property, or when he tries to take more than his fair share. Being able to be free, and have pre-existing rights has much more potential than the possible conflicts that can arrise and casue problems.

The goal of government in a constitutional democracy is to protect the natural rights of their citizens, which are again life, liberty, and property. In order to protect these rights, the government has to provide internal and external security to its citizens. Internal security helps to protect citizens from one another and external security from other outside states. These goals help to secure the good life for citizens because it allows the citizens be free to carry out their human nature, and to decide for themselves what the good life is. In order for the government to protect the natural rights of citizens, they are required to give up minimal to moderate freedoms. The government is allowed to tax its citizens in order to run the state, and protect them from other states. The government is also allowed to invade the privacy of its citizens to a certain degree, and limit certain individual freedoms in order to protect the betterment of soceity. Citizens in the minority in politics have to follow the majority, giving up some of their freedom. There is also a "common judge", which limits how individuals can act and what they can say.

There are social, economic and political conditions that make these philosophies appealing. Socially speaking, usually most citizens are educated in a constitutional democracy, which helps them advance in life. Also, there is great diversity, because citizens are free to believe what they want. Economically, there are many opportunities available to citizens to earn a very good living, since the market is open and competitive. Politcaly, people have a voice that can be heard through voting for their elected representatives, and if they are not doing a good job, they have the power to vote them out of office.

One major political thinker associated with classical liberalism is John Locke. Locke lived during the Industrial Revolution in England, and wrote many famous pieces including A Letter Conserning Toleration and Two Treatise On Government. In these pieces, the framework for classical