Major Themes
The Arc of History Moves Toward Justice
The first texts analyzed demonstrate that, while they were helping to institute justice, they were instituting justice for a minority of people. However, as time went on, these ideas were expanded upon to include people that were not white, male, or rich. This shows that there is a slow expansion of the idea of human rights and justice. However, this does not mean that people are not culpable to try and make things better. The moral arc of history is not a given but something that people have fought for.
Present Ideas Grew Out of the Past
Sometimes, it is easy to assume that the ideas of human rights and dignity appeared out of purely political processes and the conflicts that arose when people fought for their rights. However, these ideas grew from intellectuals establishing their own political theories. These ideas did not come out of nothing. Instead, these ideas span back throughout the history of Western philosophy.
Political Philosophy Needs Both the Practical and the Ideal
The philosophers analyzed can be divided into the practical and ideal. Hobbes and Locke established the philosophical ideas that created the political framework for Western democracies and political systems in general. Rousseau and Kant create more of an ideal with their articulations of the general will and Categorical Imperative, encouraging the promotion of the community and protection of human dignity. This provides the framework for the expansion of rights and the promotion of a peace that allows for a better world. While these ideals may never be achieved in practice, they both provide goals to aim for.