Philosophy has provided a fresh outlook on life and its purpose. We, being philosophers and rationales, must understand the basics of philosophy to know more about the world.
The Political and Ethics
Political philosophy vs. Ethics is a branch of philosophy that deals with morality, justice, and the legal system. Ethics is more practical and pragmatic, while political philosophy deals with how societies decide what is right and what is wrong, how to live peacefully in a society, and how we punish those who break rules. As a society evolves, its morality also changes, leading to a transformation in ethics. Something that might have been morally acceptable a few centuries ago is not acceptable today. It also depends on the culture. Some actions are morally right in one culture but not in another. Political philosophy is about the study of ethics and how it changes.
The Egalitarianism
One of the most fundamental questions philosophy has grappled with over the centuries. Egalitarian philosophy has its roots in religions such as Christianity, where all humans have equal dignity and are equally sacred. However, egalitarianism emerged as a philosophy in Europe during the Enlightenment period of the 18th and 19th centuries. Karl Marx is perhaps the most famous egalitarian philosopher who believed in a communist society where all the resources were shared equally among people.
The Elitism
Elitism, on the other hand, believes that we should run society based on meritocracy, meaning not everyone gets a trophy. Some people deserve certain rights and privileges because they’ve earned them. Natural hierarchy in the animal kingdom is part of evolution, which fosters elitism. The most famous elitist philosopher was Fredrick Nietzsche, who incidentally lived around the same time as Marx. Nietzsche believed that outstanding artists and philosophers should not receive the same treatment as ordinary people. The biggest debate in the West is between these two schools of thought: equality for all or privileges for those who earned them. So egalitarian philosophy believes in equality for all, while elitist philosophy believes in merit.
 The Humanism
Humanism was born in Europe during the Enlightenment in the 18th century, which replaced god with humans. Instead of a divine being ruling this planet, we, as rational humans, assumed ownership of it. Religion and the belief in human equality ground humanists in an egalitarian world. But in reality, that is not true. Not all humans are equal. Some are more equal than others, as George Orwell famously said in Animal Farm. So in philosophy, the big question is this: which humans should determine our social, political, and moral values?
The Utilitarianism
Utilitarianism, a branch of humanism, prioritizes morality that benefits the greatest number of people. This is about most humans, not all. The term “utility” refers to how something benefits someone. The majority of pre-enlightenment kings and aristocrats provided assistance to the minority. Utilitarianism, based on Machiavelli’s philosophy of end-justifying means, prioritizes maximizing happiness for the majority of people over focusing on the minority. The two most famous utilitarian’s in England were Jeremy Bentham and Stuart Mill. Today’s democracy resembles utilitarian majority rule on paper. Humanism also gave rise to class-based ideologies like socialism, gender-based feminism, and ethnicity-based nationalism. Humanism claims human dominance over the planet, while utilitarianism claims majority human dominance.
The Existentialism
Existentialism, popularized after Nietzsche’s philosophy, argues that everything starts with our existence, not god or some divine essence. We develop a sense of self during our lives, not prior to our birth, and there is no divine spark. A famous existentialist philosopher was Jean-Paul Sartre, who said that since we have no essence, we are responsible for making something of ourselves. He famously said that we are condemned to be free. Existentialism focuses on the individual.
The Postmodernism
Postmodernism, popularized in France, is more concerned with communities or cultural groups. Just like existentialism, it is also rooted in the philosophy of Nietzsche, specifically in his criticism of a single truth within the western philosophical tradition. While existentialism focuses on the condition of human existence, postmodernism focuses on the idea of truth and social values. Western philosophy believed in a single truth, like the idea of a single god. So postmodernism questioned European modernity as a project to unify the whole world around European values of individualism, freedom, and materialism.
The Concluding Remarks
So to sum up, the core philosophy includes the ontology of existence, the epistemology of knowledge, and everything else that is a branch of these two. Ontology includes both physics and metaphysics. Physics deals with matter, while metaphysics deals with non-material phenomena such as ideas and consciousness. Reason, logic, rationalism, and empiricism are part of epistemology. Reason is the tool to persuade others; therefore, it is more subjective, while logic is mathematical and impartial. Rationalism says knowledge comes from within, while empiricism says it only comes from experience or the outside. Therefore, the philosophy of living lies beyond the realms of ontology and epistemology. Political philosophy studies the morality of good and bad, equality or meritocracy, the majority mass, or the minority elite. This also relates to the purpose of life. Existentialism puts emphasis on the individual, while postmodernism puts emphasis on group identity.
Dr. Abid Hussain Nawaz, Post Doc & Ph.D.
Dr. Ghulam Abbas Ph.D.
For more reading
Thales: Philosopher Statement, Life Started With Water
https://scienceresearchs.com/thales-philosopher-statement-life-started-with-water/
Anaximander: A Greek Philosopher after Thales
https://scienceresearchs.com/anaximander-a-greek-philosopher-after-thales/
Metaphysic: The Unseen World Understanding (Part-1)
https://scienceresearchs.com/metaphysic-the-unseen-world-understanding-part-1/
Metaphysic: Human Know About the Reality? Part-2
https://scienceresearchs.com/metaphysic-human-know-about-the-reality-part-2/
Metaphysic: Reality and Existence in the Mind of Philosopher (Part-3)
https://scienceresearchs.com/metaphysic-reality-and-existence-in-the-mind-of-philosopher-part-3/
Metaphysic: Reality in Imagination (Part-4)
https://scienceresearchs.com/metaphysic-reality-in-imagination-part-4/
