THE PURPOSE OF STUDYING THE HISTORY OF POLITICAL THOUGHT

Introduction Historical materials are designed to introduce political science students to the history of political thought as well as political theories. The study of the history of political thought is a universal historical discipline, with disputes in its pedagogical utility and justification (Wolin 2009). It has also many controversies in its methodological debates that concerning their adequacy and legitimacy. The texts dealing which examines the history of political thought from the ancient to the modern times, from Plato to Marx have been used widely in the course dealing with the political thoughts for centuries (Baylis et al. 2010). The studies are specially designed to introduce the subject matter, through the combination of the original research with the secondary scholarship in a variety of formats emphasizing on the divergent perspectives pedagogical concerns. The study of the history of political science provides the foundation for a sound education in political science. This history mainly contributes to the political education in two major ways. First, the study develops in students the significance of political knowledge and the understanding of the historical sense. Historical sense is essential in the understanding of political study and political life cultivating the students’ abilities to think analytically and critical about the political ideas practices and problems (Rose et al. 2006). Many educational resources define historical thinking as the set of reasoning skills that are essential to the students of history. Sometimes, this skill is referred to as historical reasoning and thinking skills, usually described in the contrast of the historical contexts such as dates, names and different places. Most of the educators agree that the historical contexts of the facts in the past thinking skills enable the students to effectively interpret and analyze the use of information about the past events. Therefore, the central purpose of this article is to provide the significance of teaching the history of political thought. The significance of studying the history of political thought a) The importance of history of thought in relation to other historical subjects The humanity is currently shaped by history; therefore, the understanding of historical thoughts helps in understanding the present challenges in preparation for meeting the challenges of the futures. In this case, the understanding of the history helps in making better sense of the present and therefore prepares us to meet the challenges of the future (Waldo 2006). The history of thought unifies both the advanced teaching of history as a subject of science and justice. It unifies both courses as they trace diverse dimensions on the evolution of the human species. On the subject of history of political thought, the lectures focus on the cultural evolution of the political ideal and ideologies. Consequently, the science and justice course focuses on the intersection of our species biological and Cultural Revolution. The study of history of political thinking helps the students to seriously, engage with the political thinkers that have been dead for centuries. For most students, it provides an avenue for their interaction with renowned thinkers such as Hobbles, Mill and Marx. Therefore, it is essential to cultivate the values have to be cultivated. Furthermore, bringing the ideas of the past life to the students helps the students to connect to the past in significant ways. This is because it helps the student see for instance, how the different ideas of inequality help shape the events of the French Revolution or women’s revolutionary movements. Therefore, the students see themselves as active participants in the cultural revolutions. The students also learn to appreciate the power of good and evil and the realm ideas affecting human affairs. b) The importance of historical perspectives on management of thought The organized management of labour is as old as time. It was in the 19th century that the management of thought ideas emerged as one of the significant elements of the political, economic and social developments (Hatch 2012). The management ideas have been developed outside social and cultural perspectives since social and cultural perspectives have been transformed over a long period. However, the historical principles of management of thought have shown to keep up with the current developments. Three major significant phases of management of thought historical development have significant influence. These include the autocratic management approach, the change approach through reformation of the current work practices necessary for the support of the industrial revolution. In the ancient time, the management of people was purely autocratic, with the majority of the workers being slaves. This management system is evident in countries such as Egypt. This form of management was important in construction of important projects such as the pyramids, the irrigation of the Nile valley and the construction of tombs of the kings. The hypothesis of interdependence indicates that the political thought reflects dynamically transformed by the political and social life of the contemporary society. Therefore, the history that resembles the historical models such as the history of the political thoughts provide significant, at the period contentious, services of constantly reminding the students not to constantly discount the impacts of political thoughts on behaviours and processes. In addition, despite the familiarity of these arguments can be defended based on their contribution to the arguments and accounts can be defended with references to their contribution to the political education on an individual basis. It is the collective purposes or impacts, which need to stress. Therefore, studying the history of political thought helps the students to explore and understand the thesis and character quality. It also helps the students to understand the direction of political life a function of the interplay between nature, habit and autonomous social processes of the human thought, purposes and struggles. The history also emphasizes the nature, methods of political inquiry and the understanding of the theories used to study them, are shaped by the past. The exposure to this kind of historical understanding makes an important contribution to the political education, because although at one point it was widely thought discipline it is largely neglected today. c) Importance of studying the history of political thought in the understanding of Historical model By examining Hobbes thought in a much wider context, Sabine shows how his thoughts were to some extent conditioned and limited not to his immediate political setting and objectives, but by a wider range of his precedent experiences and knowledge. They were also directly influenced by the wider available richness of ideas, beliefs and the perspectives readily available to him. Therefore, Hobbes hypothesis is indicated to transcend its surrounding environment, through the virtues of its breadth and depth of though incomparable to the two neither the ideologies nor perspectives of the thinkers of that time (Pocock 2009). In this case, Sabine draws his judgment through the examination of Hobbes deliberation contextually. Hobbes positions out to make his organization broad enough to account on scientific principles for the different facts of nature which includes human behaviours and its individual social aspects, with the contemporaries whose major purposes was entirely partisan. Their writings were less ambitious and less abstract with their systems less informed by the existing varieties of abstracts and intellectual traditions. d) The history of political thought in the understanding of political vocabularies In addition, the contemporary political vocabularies were not invented in the contemporary historical contexts but have been useful from generations to generations (Peters, 2005). For example, the invention of the political vocabularies and practices and beliefs are historical products and understanding them in rudimentary ways requires the understanding of the history of their origin and the variable contexts through which they were used. For instance, the contemporary meanings of Marxism and liberalism of the freedom of justice and of citizenship contain associations with the historical origin yet they are regarded as important in the contemporary thought and dialogues (Lovejoy 2009). On a similar note, the histories of thought institutions and the practices embodied in the purposes and meanings of different ideas whose developments influences the current understanding and reactions to the evaluation and participation of institutions. The political thought ideology penetrates the lasting theories of politics, which can have the major purpose of warning the students to differentiate the disciplinary demands for methodological sophistication and scientific objectivity with the absence of partisanship (Iggers 2012). The systemic reflective only found in the history of political thought , helps in the genuine understanding of the different products of political interests and concerns of scientific philosophies, undeniably showing a lasting importance through simply abstracting them from the historical contexts. The political thoughts and theories are historical creatures with the interventions of men and women familiar with certain historical experiences and heirs of particular intellectual traditions. Similarly, both the current interested behaviours and reason facilitate the explanation of the prevailing concepts predicting historical products and the expression of historical products in the expression of the rationalist culture and the evolving concepts of science dating at least back to the seventeenth century (Tosh & Lang 2006). e) The history of political thought in the understanding of traditional models The scholars writing during the behaviouralism time feared that the study of the historical context of the political thought was facing extinction, devised the traditional model. They sought to demonstrate that the study of past political theory as not an antiquaranian exercise. Therefore, wrote to support the fact that the studies of the history were irrelevant by the virtues of old age or the alleged ethical ideological unscientific character (Hague et al. 2004). The results of the model were to construct historiographies and the histories contending to the histories of the west. In addition, the chief roles of the political theories were to construct the classics of studying them both relevance and their significance to the education of political scientists. The primary focus of the histories is in the characteristic of the historical classical political theories rather than the characteristic of the historical models. The understanding of the history of political thought is fundamental in the understanding of the reader historical histories also demonstrating why the authors use narrative styles. This is because the every contemporary history is shaped by its prevailing past and the history of political thought must some extent have unfolded the story. It does not automatically follow the unitary traditions of these histories reify a unitary tradition of the western thought as some critics (Niebuhr 2013). Although the history of thought tells a story, the critics forget that it as structure is complex, embodies discontinuities and continuities. It also identifies the rise and fall of multiple traditions operating many levels of experience. Therefore, the control to fully pursing these studies is the limited tax limiting the historical scholarships and for the reason needing constant revision. In this case, the revisions ought to be welcomed as they demonstrate that political understanding has to be informed by a sense of history and historical sensibility. Conclusion In conclusion, the study of the history of political thought is not a waste of intellectual knowledge rather it is essential in the development of modern scientific and political theories. With the familiarity of historical thoughts of renown philosophers the students have the opportunity to understand the current and future challenges , through the understanding of the importance of science and innovation in helping humanity helping the students develop the critical skills needed to think sensibly about the existing regulatory faced by biotechnologists, helping them understand better the challenges of tomorrow. Furthermore, the students need to understand that historians can differ in the facts that they incorporate into the development of their narratives and disagree on the facts to be interpreted. However, written history of thought is a dialogue amongst historians about what not only happened in the past but why the unfolding events happened. Therefore it is does not mean only what happened in the past and remembering answers. It requires the evaluation of arguments arriving at usable and tentative conclusions based on available evidence. To effectively, engage in the historical analysis and interpretation, the students need to draw up the skills of historical comprehension. A well-written historical narrative has the power of promoting the students’ analysis of the historical causality of how change and transformation occur in the current world. It also improves their understanding on how change affects the matters of human intentions and how the end justifies the means. Well-written historical narrative helps the students in the understanding of the different aspects affecting the contemporary historical aspects. Reference List Baylis, J. Smith, S. & Owens, P. (Eds.) 2010, The globalization of world politics: An introduction to international relation, Oxford Uni. Press. Hatch, MJ 2012, Organization theory: the current, symbolic and post-modern perception Oxford uni. press. Hague, R. Harrop, M & Breslin R 2004, Compare states and their political thoughts (Vol. 6), London: Palgrave Macmillan. Iggers, GG 2012, The German conception of history: The national tradition of historical thought from Herder to the current time, Wesleyan Uni. Press. Lovejoy, AO 2009, The great chain of being: A study of the history of ideas, Trans. Publishers. Niebuhr, R 2013, Moral man and immoral society: A study in ethics and politics, Westminster John K. Press. Pocock, JGA 2009, The Machiavellian moment: Florentine political thought and the Atlantic republican traditions, Princeton Uni. Press. Peters, BG. Pierre, J. & King, DS 2005, The politics of passageway dependence: Political conflict in historical institutionalization. Journal of Politics, 67(4), 1275-1300. Rose, N O’Malley P & Valvede M 2006, Governmentality, Annual Rev. Journal of Law Soc. Sci., 2, 83-104. Tosh, J & Lang, S 2006, The quest of history: Aims, methodology, and current directions in the study of modern historical perspectives, Pearson Edu. Waldo, D 2006, The administrative state: A study of the political theory of American public administrations, Trans. Publisher. Wolin, SS 2009, Politics and vision: Continuity and innovation in Western political thought, Princeton Uni. Press.