On Political Philosophy: How Early Thinkers Shaped Our Government

The following was written by COS Emerging Leaders Program (ELP) intern Dani Landivar. Learn more about the ELP here.

In the summer of 1787, a group of men gathered in Philadelphia, not just as political leaders, but as visionaries with a unified mission: to create a government that would stand the test of time. The government they were about to create had to balance the power of the state with the rights of the individual, reflect the natural laws they believed governed human conduct, and ensure the nation would remain free from tyranny. They were not only influenced by the practical realities of their day but by centuries of political thought, shaped by the philosophies of ancient Greece, Roman law, Enlightenment thinkers, and early Christian teachings. But how did these ancient thinkers influence the system we live under today?

In William Golding’s book Lord of the Flies, a group of boys stranded on an island quickly descend into chaos, struggling to establish order without any formal government, highlighting a powerful truth about human nature: without some form of political association, society can quickly unravel. This mirrors the views of philosophers like Aristotle and Thomas Hobbes, who believed that without political association, society would fall into disorder. Aristotle argued that humans need governance to achieve the common good, while Hobbes saw life without government as "solitary, poor, nasty, brutish, and short." Both emphasized the need for a governing structure to maintain order, which influenced the Founders as they created a constitutional republic designed to protect individual rights and promote justice.

Cicero, in On Duties, argued that justice and duty are inseparable, with a just society relying on individuals fulfilling their moral responsibilities to each other and the common good. In contrast, Hobbes, in Leviathan, believed that justice only arises from a strong, centralized authority, as individuals surrender their natural rights for security. 

The Founding Fathers took these differing views and crafted a government based on both moral duty and practical justice. From Cicero, they took the idea that the government should act in accordance with its duty to the common good, particularly in protecting the rights of citizens and ensuring justice. From Hobbes, they derived the necessity of a strong government to maintain order, but they tempered his vision with a system of checks and balances to avoid tyranny, which is now reflected in our U.S. Constitution.

Early Christianity introduced the idea that human laws must align with eternal and divine law. Thinkers like Thomas Aquinas expanded this, arguing that rulers must adhere to divine and natural law, and any law contrary to these is unjust. William Blackstone further developed this, stating human laws must respect divine law and natural rights. Hobbes, however, argued that without a strong central authority, natural law could not maintain peace, advocating for a social contract. 

The Founding Fathers, in the Declaration of Independence, combined these different views by referencing "the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God" as the foundation for the rights and freedoms of individuals. The phrase reflected their belief in a moral order that existed prior to government and beyond the reach of human authority. They believed that certain unalienable rights, such as life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, were granted by Divine Providence and could not be infringed upon by the government.

The philosophical foundations we’ve discussed—ranging from early Christianity’s alignment of human law with divine law, to Aquinas's views on kingship and Blackstone’s belief in higher law, to Hobbes’ ideas of order and government—reveal a deep commitment to justice, moral law, and the safeguarding of individual rights. The Founders were clear: power should be limited, and the government should be accountable to the people, not the other way around. 

However, as we have seen over the years, the balance of power has been disrupted, and the federal government has steadily encroached upon the rights and freedoms it was meant to protect. This is why we urgently need an Article V convention to restore balance by imposing fiscal restraints, limiting federal overreach, and setting term limits for Congress. It’s time to act, just as the Founders did, to preserve the republic they created and secure a future of liberty and prosperity for generations to come. The future of our nation depends on it.