Ibn Khaldun's Political Theories PDF

Political philosphy deals with power, who has it and how it is exercised. The main goal of political philosophy is the individuals and their lives, and how can it be improved. Philosophers try to find answers and solutions for the problems facing the individual and society on the political and soc...

Political philosphy deals with power, who has it and how it is exercised. The main goal of political philosophy is the individuals and their lives, and how can it be improved. Philosophers try to find answers and solutions for the problems facing the individual and society on the political and social level. Greek philosophers like Socrates, Plato and Aristotle were the first to discuss the state and authority. Plato states that human tendency is corrupted by power. 5types of governance according to Plato: 1- Aristocracy 2- Timocracy 3- Oligarchy – this type of goverance fuels conflicts between the upper and lower class 4- Democracy – Plato says that this is the worst type of governance 5- Tyranny Plato and the ideal city, kallopasis, ruled by philosophers and kings. Aristotle was a student of Plato for 20 years. Aristotle found the second greatest garden in Athens Aristotle was known to Islamic thinkers as ‘the first teacher’, and to Christian philosophers as ‘the philosopher’ Aristotle developed his theories based on observations Plato developed his theories through questioning and everyday experience Ibn Khaldun not only described history but analyzed it and linked it to the present and predicted the future. Ibn Khaldun was the founder of sociology He was also the first to use terminology to explain how the state and society works. Tribalism, an individual must always belong to a larger group of individuals, this shapes and determines their identity. Tribal loyalty is more important than religious loyalty, it is what distinguishes one group from another. Ibn Khaldun: Ibn Khaldun believes that power is what determinates the nature and type of relationships. According to ibn-Khaldun, power cannot be achieved without Assabiyah. The rise, fall and development of society are linked to the degree of relationship. He believed that achieving gains can only be done through Assabiyah, the power on which the tribe relies on in order to achieve gains for tribal society. Ibn Khaldun used the term ‘al Assabiyah’ in his time, it was the closest to the term ‘nationalism’ in our modern day. Ibn Khaldun confirms that increasing the feeling of Assabiyah, leads to the building of a greater civilization, he uses the rise of Muslims empires to prove his point. The emergence of new empires leads to an increase in their members' interest in science and the arts. And this decreases their Assabiyah. He states that every dynasty will rise and fall and generally wouldn't last more than 4 generations. Ibn Khaldun provided description of 4 stages of each ruling dynasty: 1. First generation; the king and ruler are good, and strongly connected to Assabiyah 2. Second generation; king is usually the son of the old king and has some memories of tribal life but starts to adopt a life of luxury with leads to a decrease in Assabiyah. 3. Third generation; king focuses on maintaining power rather than serving the people. 4. Fourth generation: the king tries to provide for the people's need to stay in power. Machiavelli: The prince is considered one of the most famous political books up to present time. Most important topics discussed by Machiavelli in his book, The prince; 1. The book deals with qualities a ruler must process. 2. The ways and means that a ruler can resort to remain in power, Machiavelli supports all polices that support the rules continuation of power. Machiavelli is an important historian, politician, diplomat, philosopher, humanist and writer. He is best known today as the ‘founder of modern political science and political ethics. Machiavelli is the founder of realist political theory. The Medici family is one of the most famous families of Florence, which played a major role in its economic, political and cultural history between the 15th and the 18 centuries. From the Medici family, 2 kings and 3 popes emerged. The most important qualities of the ruler according to Machiavelli; - There are no limits for the ruler - Religion must be within the church - The ruler must be very flexible, the world is constantly changing, and the leader must be prepared to deal with these changes  - The state always is exposed to the danger of internal and external threats, and the ruler must be prepared to deal with these threats - The leader must deal with circumstances even if it is at the expense of principles, because adherence to principles may lead to loss of power. According to Machiavelli there are 4 types of principalities: 1- Hereditary : the rulers have been from the same family for a long time, where titles pass down to sons or a member of that family. 2- New: the king establishes a kingdom, never been subjected to authority before. 3- Mixed: occupation by a foreign prince or when a ruler adds new territroy to his own territory. 4- Acquired: state that has been aquired by force, or have been under a rule of a king that it cant operate without one.