Klingenstein: What is political philosophy?
Ellmers: It has two parts: the philosophic study of politics, and the political study of philosophy. The second one means that the human things are always the gateway to thinking about abstract ideas like truth, being, the nature of reality, etc. We can leave that aside. The other meaning — the philosophic study of politics — involves bringing some understanding of “the big picture” to the issues and controversies of the day.
For example, if we want to know why the United States seems to be in a crisis, why we are so divided, it helps to know something about human nature, about what the great thinkers have said about justice and morality, about natural rights and where they come from, and about the relationship between the individual and society. There is a lot of wisdom to be found in old books on these questions. The hard part is figuring out how to apply this wisdom to a practical plan of action.
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