Social and Political Philosophy

What Is Social And Political Philosophy?
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What Is Social And Political Philosophy?
Social and political philosophy are subsets of ethics that focus on values associated with people, including communities and nations. This branch of philosophy focuses on improving understanding and explaining such issues as the equitable distribution of resources among people, the association between an individual and the government, the advantages of different forms of government, and political structures, among other problems. In addition, social and political philosophers are concerned by such considerations as human rights, justice, fairness, and the duties of government.
One of the most important things I hope to gain from a deeper understanding of social and political philosophy is a profound awareness of the perennial problems and questions that have consistently recurred in different epochs and places, including our present age. Some of these recurrent issues include such questions as: Why should I obey the government? What is a just state? What are the grounds of political morality? To what extent should I obey the government? And etcetera. I believe that political theorists have, over the years, endeavored to address these questions, albeit differently. Consequently, learning the history of political philosophy is key to appreciating the various proposed solutions and gaining a larger perspective of present problems in our society.
Another critically important thing I hope to gain from learning social and political philosophy is the capacity to uncover the realities of any ideology that promotes exploitative power relations and only seeks to protect the rule of the dominant class. I think that mainstream ideas can sometimes be used to mask the ruling class's interests and may indirectly be applied to legitimize members' wealth, power, and positions in society (Ball, 2011). For instance, most philoso...