Political theory
Political theory systematically analyzes political ideas, values, and concepts, asking both how political life works and how it ought to be organized.
Political philosophy: The philosophical study of political institutions, power, justice, rights, and civic life. It overlaps with political theory in examining the grounds and aims of political arrangements.
Liberalism: A political tradition that emphasizes individual rights, equal citizenship, and limits on state power. It offers influential accounts of rights and freedom that rival communal or hierarchical priorities.
Plato: An ancient Greek philosopher whose dialogues address justice, knowledge, ethics, and political order. The Republic presents an early systematic inquiry into justice and the ideal political community.
Democracy: A form of government in which political power is held by the people, directly or through representatives. Theories assess whether popular rule is legitimate, fair, and compatible with individual rights.
Feminist political theory: Political theory analyzing how gender shapes power, institutions, citizenship, and justice. It exposes how supposedly universal accounts can overlook gendered power and dependency.
Justice: The principle or practice of giving people what they are due, including fair distribution and treatment. Theories of political institutions often turn on what counts as a just social order.
Marxism: A tradition of social and political thought analyzing class conflict, capitalism, and material conditions. It explains political order through class relations and economic structures rather than chiefly through rights.
Aristotle: An ancient Greek philosopher whose work shaped logic, ethics, politics, and natural science. Politics compares constitutions and treats political association as central to human life.
Distributive justice: The study of how benefits, burdens, resources, and opportunities should be allocated. It applies principles of equality and fairness to economic and social institutions.
Postcolonial theory: A body of thought examining the enduring political and cultural effects of colonialism. It challenges accounts of political modernity that omit empire and colonial domination.