Author: D. Fazl Ahmad Ahmadi
Fascism in the Form of Political Thought (3rd Part)
In fact, political thinking can be considered as the “geographical roles of politics,” which helps us understand where we are and what path will lead us to our desired destination. According to the practical logic of Spriggans, every political thought is formed within the framework of a particular time and place and is shaped to respond to specific historical needs and the objective-social contexts of that era.
In this sense, political opinions, insights, and symbolic images represent a systematized totality of politics, forming a quest to understand the elements that constitute a good society and to find relevant criteria and solutions. According to this approach, any school of thought or any political thinker, in any era and historical situation, undergoes four stages in the process of emergence and formation.
crisis observation.
pain diagnosis.
providing an alternative situation.
Providing a solution to achieve an alternative situation.
For example, the “crisis of Athenian justice” found its response in Plato’s political system, which was the initial answer to the disorder in society and ethics. Similarly, Farabi proposed the idea of the Medina during the crisis of the caliphate in the 4th century AH.
Plamenatz believes that political thought is “more than the explanation of society and government, and more than the justification of the existing situation or its condemnation.” In his view, political thought represents a “relationship” between a philosopher’s understanding of what it means to be human—specifically, what is unique to human existence—and how one is situated in the world. This understanding informs his perspective on how humans should act, what they should strive for, and how society should be structured. In his opinion, political philosophy serves as a response to questions related to human relationships, particularly those experienced by individuals in similar situations, for which science does not provide answers.
But “Eric” and “Glen” offer a living interpretation of political thought. They have defined political thought as a plan for how to be and live, and they point to the role of ideas in the formation of societies or political systems. The political system is built so that people can build something similar to the whole that surrounds them, that is, the cosmic world, so that their lives become meaningful and by finding this shelter they can protect themselves from internal and external divergent forces. In this way, an entity is created that can be called a “cosmos” or a “small world of order” as well as a “world of meaning” according to Adolf Estor. This is simulating the universe with human imagination in the world of social life.
In general, historians of political thought generally narrate, describe and analyze political thought in the two Western traditions and the Islamic world separately and as two issues separate from each other, although related. In “History of Thought” or “History of Political Thought” the description, analysis and explanation of political schools and opinions in the course of history is discussed. In the east, this course covers from the ancient times to the recent times, and in the west, from the ancient Greek era to today, it includes the classical, medieval, modern, and contemporary eras.
According to Strauss, political thought in the history of the West has experienced two “classical and modern” stages. In the classical era, political philosophy was an indicator type of political thought and dealt with “good and just” matters, in the form of “goodness” and “justice” categories, that is, categories that are aimed at “reasonable life”. According to Strauss, this type of orientation has no place in the new political thought. In his opinion, in modern thought, the relationship between “politics” and “natural law” was broken, and Machiavelli started the first wave of modernity in political philosophy by rejecting mental models and turning attention to a realistic approach in political affairs.
This work continued by placing “self-preservation” in the center of natural law and placing “human rights” instead of “natural laws” in the hands of Hobbes; But this thought process was criticized by Rousseau in the “second wave of modernity”. While trying to revive the classical concept of “virtue” (or the best way of being), Rousseau had to reinterpret it. In the framework of Rousseau’s theories, human virtue was connected with the “philosophy of agency” or “freedom”, on the one hand, and with the duty of citizenship on the other hand and was finally placed in the category of “general will”. In other words, Rousseau said that only with the direct and continuous participation of all citizens in political life, the state can move towards the common good, or what he himself called the “general will”. However, the third wave of modernity, which is associated with Nietzsche’s name, proposes a new understanding of the feeling of existence, that is, the experience of terror, anxiety and suffering, and that there is no escape from nature and no possibility for authentic happiness. Nietzsche recognizes the “desire for power” as the determining factor in human historical-political life; But by giving originality to human creativity, it raises the necessity of changing the valuation of values.
Continues…
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