Philosophy Summary By Issues

politics

Plato

• enriching
• Active

Aristotle

• enriching
• active

Epictetus

• irrelevant
• passive

Epicurus

• irrelevant
• passive

Augustine

• remedial
• passive

Averroes

• Enriching
• God's Will
• you have to be an active Muslim

Maimonides

• Enriching
• God's Will
• you have to be an active Jew

Aquinas

• Enriching
• God's Will
• you have to be an active Christian

Machiavelli

• remedial
• active

Hobbes

• remedial
• active

Locke

• enriching
• active

Equality

Plato

• not equal
• hierarchy
• people access reason in different ways
• reason tells us that a division of labour and thus inequality is necessary
• assumes that this inequality means the superior should rule
• collectivist prespective allows inequality to exist with dignity

Aristotle

• looking inductively at the world we can see that inequality is natural
• does not think inequality should inform the recipe for the good life
• even the superior are fallible - the law should rule
• collectivist prespective allows inequality to exist with dignity

Epictetus

• more individualist
• more equal

Epicurus

• more individualist
• more equal

Augustine

• Christian thought is equalizing
• we are all equal before god
• but the reality of inequality is irrelevant

Averroes

• built on Aristotles notions of natural inequality
• But this has little impact on the good life

Maimonides

• built on Aristotles notions of natural inequality
• But this has little impact on the good life

Aquinas

• built on Aristotles notions of natural inequality
• But this has little impact on the good life
• However added influence of Christianity makes Aquinas a strong advocate of equality
• but still recognizes natural inequality

Machiavelli

• similar to Plato
• thinks that some are more capable of accessing the good life
• superior and inferior
• we have to coerce the inferior toward the good life
• more individualist - one man is going to see the light and coerce everyone to follow all it takes is one prince to bring everybody along

Hobbes

• world is more individualist and inequality seems less and less logical
• first articulation of full equality
• this equality impacts the good life
• negative equality

Locke

• world is more individualist and inequality seems less and less logical
• this equality impacts the good life
• positive equality