Political Theory, often also referred to as 'political
philosophy' or 'political thought,' approaches the study of
politics with theoretical and philosophical concerns foremost.
According to political theorists in order to be able to robustly
describe a given political phenomena or problem and prescribe
viable and morally legitimate alternatives or solutions, one
must cultivate a comprehensive, holistic grasp of the human
condition. More specifically, one has to develop a consistent
set of theories including: epistemology (theory of knowledge),
metaphysics (theory of reality), philosophical anthropology
(theory of human nature), and ethics (theory of value and
obligation). Only having done so can one attempt to answer
perennial questions such as: "what is the meaning of life?"
"what is the good life?" "what is politics?" "what is the
purpose of politics?" "what is justice?" and so on. The history
of Western Political Philosophy, stretching from Homer to
Habermas, consists largely of the successive efforts of