POLI 107 1st Edition Lecture 2 Outline of Current Lecture Greek Political Theory Intro City State Greek city state was the focal point of social and political life Thus it was the primary focal point of Greek political theory Key characteristics o Small in area o Small in population Divided by class o Slaves No part of political life o Resident foreigners No part of political life o Citizens Only people allowed to participate in the governance of the city Citizenship entailed an obligation to serve Embodies certain ideals o Democracy o Importance of participating in civic life Pericles Funeral Oration Appears in Thucydides History of the Peloponnesian War Conveys the emotional aspect of the city and the deep meaning it held for its citizens City is basis for ones being Meaning o CF 14 Customs is the basis of law One has a duty to obey the law and not question it o CF 14 15 Our constitution does not copy the laws of neighboring states we are rather a pattern to others the imitators ourselves Pericles is clearly prideful of his constitution Athens constitution is superior to any other o Its administration favors the many instead of the few this is why it is called a democracy If we look to laws he is not hindered by the obscurity of his condition Power is shared by the many Laws promote the common interest rather than the individual interests Anyone can play a part in public life and ones rank reflects merit rather than class or family o The freedom which we enjoy in our govt extends also to our ordinary life There far from teaching us to obey the magistrates and the laws Freedom to pursue one s private interests in secured by a shared duty to obey the law which establishes the limits on one s freedom according to the needs of the common good When others judge you for pursuing your private affairs even if the affairs are in accordance with the law this can create a psychological penalty a sense of shame for rightfully enjoying one s freedom o Our public men have besides politics their private affairs to attend to and our ordinary citizens through occupied but in the confidence of liberality Private interests should not interfere with one s obligation to the public interest Citizens who take no part in public affairs are useless Free discussion is an inherent part of wise action o I say that as a city we are the school of Hellas power of the state acquired by these habits proves Athenians are a breed apart Good citizen versatile citizen able to serve many functions in the interests of the city Athens empire and influence is rooted in its political system General Principles of Early Greek Political Theory Civic life is a life in common where the happiness of one depends upon the happiness of another Achieving this common life is the driving question animating Greek PT Two key political values were deemed to be integral in a harmonious common life freedom and respect for law o Freedom Ensures that others will not interfere with your private pursuits Your private pursuits will not intrude upon others or upon one s obligations to public life o Law Promotes virtue among the citizenry by codifying understandings of right and wrong achieved through open rational and inclusive discussion Sound good laws thus create optimal conditions for the exercise of one s freedom and the process by which laws are made ensures that they are legitimate By the 5th Century BC There is evidence of increasing interest in other political cultures and systems Some view this interest in alternatives as reflecting concerns over changed underway in Greek society economy and politics Others began to criticize the Greek system for failing to achieve a harmonious common life Socrates the Sophists Sophists were essentially scholars for hire who met a 5th century demand in Athens for education in logic and ethics as well as other humanistic subjects This challenged the dominance of the physical sciences over political theory These changes would lead to an important modification Within the variation of human affairs and customs could be found strands of an unchanging human nature the effect a law of nature To appeal to a universal law of nature applicable to human affairs meant that one also discarded custom as a pillar of political theory Promoting the law of nature in political theory ran against conventional Athenian wisdom In adopting the law of nature Greek political theory also made the assumption that nature was inherently good By consequence the natural ends of the state and of humans were good Meaning of Antigone Lines 62 63 o Antigone subordinates human law to universal law and implies that any human law that runs against the universal law is null and void which justifies her acts in breaking Creon s unnatural law Lines 146 153 o Any ruler that does not promote the well being of the people has no claim to authority o Any individual who promotes private over public interests is useless and worthy of contempt Lines 522 529 o City s strength its domestic order o Ruler must always be obeyed if he believes he serves the common good even if his laws would appear to be unjust Lines 542 549 o Reason is man s highest faculty no single man can lay claim to possess it exclusively o Good laws will follow from open discussion among rational men Lines 593 599 o Ruling without reason is akin to tyranny o A king who rules without the common good in mind will destroy the city o Cities prosper when the input of the people is secured Socrates Socrates refined Sophist humanism and married it with traditional political philosophy based upon the physical sciences Chief legacy virtue is knowledge