Ideological Context and the Study of Political Theory
In: Hobbes StudiesSearch for other papers by Xinzhi Zhao in
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Abstract
This paper recounts my encounter with the ideological context of Hobbes’s system as a graduate student in political theory through the teaching and scholarship of Professor Johann Sommerville. This encounter made me recognize that political theorists should study not only systems of political philosophy but also their ideological contexts, whose primary components are not “languages” but ideas and arguments deployed in debates concerning issues of political legitimacy of a particular time. Specifically, I realized that incorporating ideological contexts into the study of political theory could render the quest for legitimate political orders in different ages and cultures accessible to modern readers of diverse backgrounds, enable a more accurate grasp of the originality of a philosophical system, and uncover new resources for political theorizing.
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Ideological Context and the Study of Political Theory
In: Hobbes StudiesSearch for other papers by Xinzhi Zhao in
Current site
Google Scholar
PubMed
Abstract
This paper recounts my encounter with the ideological context of Hobbes’s system as a graduate student in political theory through the teaching and scholarship of Professor Johann Sommerville. This encounter made me recognize that political theorists should study not only systems of political philosophy but also their ideological contexts, whose primary components are not “languages” but ideas and arguments deployed in debates concerning issues of political legitimacy of a particular time. Specifically, I realized that incorporating ideological contexts into the study of political theory could render the quest for legitimate political orders in different ages and cultures accessible to modern readers of diverse backgrounds, enable a more accurate grasp of the originality of a philosophical system, and uncover new resources for political theorizing.
| All Time | Past Year | Past 30 Days | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Abstract Views | 518 | 118 | 7 |
| Full Text Views | 27 | 8 | 0 |
| PDF Views & Downloads | 63 | 25 | 0 |