Political philosophy

Aeon Essays and Videos on Political philosophy

Beauty and aesthetics Bioethics Comparative philosophy Cosmopolitanism Death Ethics History of ideas Knowledge Logic and probability Meaning and the good life Metaphysics Philosophy of language Philosophy of mind Philosophy of religion Philosophy of science Political philosophy Thinkers and theories Values and beliefs Virtues and vices

Explore more Philosophy

Sepia-toned photo of a man addressing a crowd of strikers outside a brick building wearing early 20th-century attire.

essayPolitics and government

Our unfinished republics

Economic republicanism shows us how to achieve authentic freedom: citizens require economic as well as political power

Sean Irving

Painting of industrial workers and scientists performing tasks; includes gears, blueprints and factory elements.

essayPolitical philosophy

Landholder vs stockholder

In 1752, David Hume discerned that wealth was becoming untethered from land. Here lies the origin of our political divisions

Catherine Nichols

A vibrant street scene with decorated vehicles, colourful flags and banners in front of a large urban building.

essayThinkers and theories

The tragedy of Trần Đức Thảo

How the persecuted Vietnamese philosopher became one of the first theorists of the divide between colonised and coloniser

Rory O’Sullivan

Silhouetted figure at a desk with US flag nearby, backlit by sunlight through curtains.

essayPolitical philosophy

Incandescent anger

Politics today is driven by grievances that can never be assuaged. For democracy’s survival, we must grapple with this dynamic

Paul Katsafanas

Aerial photo of people in colourful clothes standing in line casting long shadows on a dirt path surrounded by greenery.

essayPolitical philosophy

The empty ideology

Liberalism hasn’t delivered on its promises in Africa. The alternative will be found in ideas rooted in Africa’s own soil

Gabriel Asuquo

Black and white photo of a line of people marching on a city street holding signs protesting against the draft for the Vietnam War.

essayWar and peace

Not in our name

The gravest of all decisions, to go to war, happens without the consent of the people. This is a great flaw in democracy

Vincenza Falletti

Photo of a vibrant snack bar with colourful signs advertising beer, pizza, sausages and ice cream.

essayProgress and modernity

The explosion of choice

It’s only in recent history that freedom has come to mean having a huge array of choices in life. Did we take a wrong turn?

Sophia Rosenfeld

Abstract painting with a vertical orange stripe on a dark red background.

essayArt

Art must act

Throughout decades of writing, Harold Rosenberg exhorted artists to resist cliché and conformity and instead take action

Blake Smith

Black and white photo of a man in a suit speaking passionately at a podium with microphones.

essayBiography and memoir

The story of Malcolm X

Alex Haley co-wrote The Autobiography of Malcolm X but Haley left out some profound elements of Malcolm’s political thought

Alex White

Photo of a woman wearing sunglasses, gesturing in front of a large stone monument with carved figures.

videoThinkers and theories

The prison abolitionist who dares to envision a world without ‘unfreedoms’

16 minutes

Medieval painting of a circular walled city with towers and a large lamb statue on a roof, surrounded by countryside.

essayPolitical philosophy

The allure of autarky

Liberal thinkers are shocked that nations are once again isolating from the world. The real surprise would be if they didn’t

Ben Chu

Mosaic of a man in a red coat and wide brimmed hat holding a scythe with three workers in the background on a patterned brick wall.

essayHuman rights and justice

Levelling the world

Gerrard Winstanley led a small band of radicals whose vision of justice encompassed the globe and continues to inspire

Rowan Wilson

Photo of a woman in a white dress and purple headscarf leaning against a wall, covering her face near green foliage.

essayHuman rights and justice

Struggling to wake

After a murderous kidnapping in Nigeria, I launched a campaign to put a stop to the abductions. Why did no one listen?

Ayisha Osori

Photo of dandelion seeds in flight against a blurred green forest background.

videoMeaning and the good life

Why Orwell urged his readers to celebrate the spring, cynics be damned

11 minutes

Photo of a large crowd celebrating outdoors with a person waving a South African flag energetically in the foreground.

essayPolitical philosophy

A right to exist?

Since states are founded on violence and expulsion, their existence is always bound up in thorny questions about justice

Andrew F March

A man standing on a balcony of a brick apartment building, with tarps and debris in foreground.

essayPolitics and government

The end of neoliberalism?

The case of Mexico shows that, despite a proliferating discourse that it is over, neoliberalism is as relentless as ever

Inés Escobar González

Black and white photo of three people seated at an outdoor café table.

essayPolitical philosophy

The underground university

During the Cold War, Oxford philosophers worked together to aid dissidents behind the Iron Curtain. I was one of them

Cheryl Misak

Historic photo of a large crowd gathered outside a gated building surrounded by trees, while two women in long dresses approach them from the building.

essayThinkers and theories

Who can claim Aristotle?

The endless battle over his legacy testifies to his great authority – and the power of his thought to make the world better

Edith Hall

Black-and-white photo of a man speaking into microphones held by the press outside a building, with a woman smiling at him in the background.

videoPolitical philosophy

The radical activist couple who fought for social change in the courtroom

21 minutes

A street with an American flag a mural of a vintage town scene and a black pickup truck passing by.

essayPolitics and government

The spectre of insecurity

Liberals have forgotten that in order for our lives not to be nasty, brutish and short, we need stability. Enter Hobbes

Jennifer M Morton

Photo of a light beige woven fabric with black and red borders on the sides, frayed edges at the bottom, and a black background.

essayPolitical philosophy

Citizens and spinning wheels

For Indians to be truly free, Gandhi argued they must take up traditional crafts. Was it a quixotic hope or inspired solution?

Benjamin Studebaker

Black-and-white photo of a man in a suit and hat grabbing another man by his collar in front of a bar with bottles.

essayPolitical philosophy

C L R James and America

The brilliant Trinidadian thinker is remembered as an admirer of the US but he also warned of its dark political future

Harvey Neptune

An old photograph of a man pulling a small cart with a child and belongings, followed by a woman and three children; one child is pushing a stroller.

essayThinkers and theories

Rawls the redeemer

For John Rawls, liberalism was more than a political project: it is the best way to fashion a life that is worthy of happiness

Alexandre Lefebvre

Aerial view of an industrial site emitting smoke, surrounded by snow-covered buildings and landscape, under a clear blue sky with birds flying overhead.

essayPolitics and government

Governing for the planet

Nation-states are no longer fit for purpose to create a habitable future for humans and nature. Which political system is?

Jonathan S Blake & Nils Gilman