Modern Political Thought

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This section is a work in progress. Modern political thought is on-going and it is too soon to say what modernism has to say. We can be sure, though, that modern political thought is not the final stage in development. It may not even be the best so far. People today have limitations, just as people in the past did. Modern societies have made progress. They have learned from the mistakes of the past. But they repeat many old mistakes and make new ones of their own.

The most essential new development that sets in modern political theory apart from the past is the new discipline of political science. Plato’s ideas emerged from his fertile mind. Medieval kings ruled by fiat with very little feedback about how they were doing. Modern political science looks at what actually happens and tries to explain it and asses how well it works.

Political science notices that few things happen the way they are intended to. Textbooks say, “Congress makes laws.” The old Schoolhouse Rock cartoon segment “How a Bill Becomes a Law,” describes a smooth and streamlined process. But political science observes laws emerging from a more complicated process. In actuality, laws never happen as simply as described in schoolbooks. Instead there is a complex process — described as “The Dance of Legislation” in an important book by Eric Redman — involving legislators, the people being regulated, the staffers of the legislators, and the bureaucracies that will enforce the new law if it is passed. This “dance” was not intentional. And it is not optimal. Political science is useful because it makes us aware that the system is bent out of shape.

An even greater positive contribution of modern political thought is the inclusion of more diverse voices and points of view. Women and ethnic minorities were hardly noticed until modern times. Martin Luther King, Jr. and Gloria Steinem (among others) broke through the barriers in the 1960s. Today minorities and women sit at the table with the equal respect and stature they always deserved.

There have been few philosophical innovations in the modern era. One of these is John Rawls’ A Theory of Justice. Justice was hardly ever considered in the earlier times, and was often viewed differently than today. If you were a medieval peasant, justice consisted only in your staying in your place.

Rawls declares that justice is important and proposed a method for achieving it. He called it the veil of ignorance:

Rawls’ “Veil of Ignorance” Theory is a scholarly idea, but also a practical one for an age when the list of people deemed worthy of fairness is growing.

Discuss:

  • Try using the veil of ignorance to your own sense of justice. How much help do you think a disabled person should receive in a fair society?

  • Now imagine that you are disabled yourself. Does that change your opinion about what is fair?