Political
philosophy is the study of fundamental
questions about the state, government,
politics, liberty, justice, property,
rights, law and the enforcement
of a legal code by authority:
what they are, why (or even if)
they are needed, what makes a
government legitimate, what rights
and freedoms it should protect
and why, what form it should take
and why, what the law is, and
what duties citizens owe to a
legitimate government, if any,
and when it may be legitimately
overthrown-if ever. In a vernacular
sense, the term "political
philosophy" often refers
to a general view, or specific
ethic, belief or attitude, about
politics that does not necessarily
belong to the technical discipline
of philosophy.
Three central concerns of political
philosophy have been the political
economy by which property rights
are defined and access to capital
is regulated, the demands of justice
in distribution and punishment,
and the rules of truth and evidence
that determine judgments in the
law.
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