Early Political PhilosophyOnline version Matching political philosophers to their ideas that influenced the foundations of American government: Plato to Machiavelli by Kristin Morgan (Teacher - Social Studies) 1 Plato 2 Aristotle 3 Cicero 4 St. Thomas Aquinas 5 Niccolo Machiavelli Ruling is a science and you have to be trained how to do it A good government is merely one that follows the laws The best government mixes monarchy and democracy Good government has a constitution even if it is unwritten A constitution includes shared understandings of life and the purpose of government Natural law is the result of humans' reasoning and an innate sense of justice Any law not rooted in natural law is invalid Natural law is God's design for each creature to act in proscribed ways Only humans have free will and the ability to reason Humans' fundamental inclination is to find God's presence Humans apply God's rules to individual behaviors by way of conscience Natural law is in every human heart and cannot be abolished for that reason Emphasizes the practicality of government, rather than idealism The ideal singular ruler ('The Prince') is decisive, bold, cruel when necessary, and takes a genuine interest in people Republics require an educated population, especially elites A republican government must be responsive to the people & able to adapt
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