Politics And Vision Analysis

In Politics and Vision: Continuity and Innovation in Western Political Thought, Wolin attempts to provide an understanding of politics and the political and the characteristics of the space and discourse of political philosophy throughout history. While Wolin doesn’t claim the authority or ability to define political philosophy, he begins with the intention of studying the nature of the activity and its limits and developments. He sets up the inherent ties of the political to the public or commonwealth, and, therefore, the public concerns that political philosophy focuses on. Within the discourse of political philosophy is the notable continuity of certain problems throughout history including “the power relationships between ruler and ruled,
While Plato weaved a strong sense of obligation and unity into his vision of the political, his strict social structure removed social mobility and didn’t consider slaves members of the community. Although comparatively the Roman empire allowed for more class mobility and the possibility of citizenship to once outsiders, it too “was sharply differentiated into several social orders--patricians, plebs, clients...each with its own rights and obligations. The remark of Cicero that such a structure was wiser and better than no class divides in the political sphere is a reminder of the changing notions of representation and the accompanying rights of people in the political even to present times. During the medieval era, Luther confronted representational problems within the political and religious institution of the Catholic Church. He saw the sacraments being monopolized by the hierarchical system he disliked. To him the word of God and salvation shouldn’t be bound up to only be accessed through the hierarchy of the Church but should be accessible to all. Luther's opposition to the Catholic Church constructed more political thought around the debate of rights of citizens of the community. As Wolin continues to bring up, institutions are influential “defining and ordering an important segment of the community”