ABSTRACT
Political theory is a subject which is more easily defined ostensively than formally. It is simple enough to point to the intellectual tradition which runs from Plato and Aristotle through to Marx, Mill and beyond, but less simple to point to the common elements in their thought which enable us to say that they were all in some sense engaged in the same enterprise. Perhaps the best approximation is to say that political theory is an attempt to understand political and social relationships at a high level of generality, and in the light of that understanding to advocate a certain practical stance towards them. At one extreme, a theory may portray existing relationships as the perfect embodiment of rationality and consequently recommend conserving them in their entirety; at the other extreme, a theory may highlight the gulf between existing institutions and rational principles, and describe in some detail an alternative social and political order which would better realize the principles in question. The way in which this common project has been carried out, however, has varied a great deal. Some theories have started from a conception of the human individual, and asked what political and social arrangements would best satisfy his needs and desires. Others have interpreted existing institutions as part of an overall pattern of historical development – either as the culmination of that pattern, or as a transient stage destined to be replaced by something higher. Others again have begun by asking what kind of knowledge is possible in political matters, and gone on to defend institutional arrangements which give people tasks in proportion to their capacity to carry them out. Political theorists have been just as diverse in their methods as they have in their practical conclusions.
