Jerusalem or Athens (Strauss's Four Arguments)

Author: Chen Jianhong
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2005-01-01
Features: Political philosophy is a rather ambiguous concept today, and its position as an academic discipline in contemporary university departments is also somewhat awkward. For example, should political philosophy belong to the philosophy department or the political science department? Should it be housed in the law school or the liberal arts college? We can perhaps only answer that political philosophy cannot be confined to a single discipline, nor can it be simplified into a single major, because, by its very nature, political philosophy is an interdisciplinary field. Political philosophy is an interdisciplinary field. Its topics range from morality, law, religion, customs, and even communities, nations, states, and their economic distribution methods, to gender, friendship, marriage, family, parenting, education, and even literary and artistic expressions. Therefore, political philosophy possesses a characteristic that is not constrained by modern academic specialization. Ultimately, political philosophy is a concentrated expression of self-awareness and self-reflection within a political community. At the dawn of the twenty-first century, Chinese scholars are fostering a new cultural consciousness, which will inevitably first manifest as inquiries in political philosophy. This series, "Political Philosophy Library," will provide a starting point for political philosophy research in China with a pragmatic academic approach, promoting the gradual maturation of Chinese political philosophy.