摘要 : Politics is a practical activity which, after a moment's thought, turns into a philosophical inquiry. We have only to reflect on toleration and human rights, sovereignty and the state, the social contracts citizens have with each ... 展开 Politics is a practical activity which, after a moment's thought, turns into a philosophical inquiry. We have only to reflect on toleration and human rights, sovereignty and the state, the social contracts citizens have with each other, the shaping influence of law and changes arising from globalization to realize the truth of that. More formally, we might then draw on ideas from writers like Plato and Marx and Hegel and on theories about polity and individuality and freedom (many of which are or have become normative narratives, for some arguably foundational roles) to see how wide-ranging political philosophy can be. The wealth of material, in reference and scholarly and popular sources, confirms this. Ethically, we move smoothly into areas of ethics and 'the good life', duty and obligation and altruism, and the numerous political and financial and economic strategies that claim to help them flourish - as well as seem to address why they should. And, in case critics say that philosophy can be merely abstract, analytical political science often takes an assertively empirical line, as indeed many politicians (and teachers of politics) say it must. 收起