Political Obligation Analysis

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@: Essay Political Philosophy

Evaluate the ground for political obligation

In this essay I will present the concept of political obligation. Political obligation is the moral obligation that every citizen must follow in regards to the laws of the state where they are placed in. This obligation is the fundamental aspect of living in a state, since it is assumed that one must follow all of the laws according to what the state has decided. This view has been challenged both historically and hypothetically by various philosophers. In this essay I will firstly introduce the requirements of a successful political obligation. A short explanation will then succeed, presenting the the ideas of political obligation in the past (the divine commandment) to create a context to build on with the interpretations of the Social Contract Theory (By John Locke, Thomas Hobbes and Jean-Jacques Rousseau). The Utilitarian view will also be presented alongside the Communitarianism approach to political obligation, to finally contrast with Anarchism. The theory of Natural Duty to Justice in addition to the Fair Play theory of H. L. A Hart will
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Secondly it must be capable of explaining why we are obligated to obey laws even if they might go against our individual moral standards (A law that we don’t like or that we haven’t voted for directly). And finally it must account for obligation whilst still preserving our individual freedom and equality. If these points aren’t fully satisfied, then a political obligation cannot be considered valid. With these points in mind, a more critical approach to the following political obligation theories presented can be used. A short introduction regarding the historical aspect of PO will be presented to then move on to the influential Social Contract