Republicanism
Volume 1 | Issue 5 - Ideology
Page by Ellie Veryard.
Originating in classical Greece, the concept of Republicanism emerged from debate over nature and convention. Both nature and convention were explanations for the content of any social practice. It was thought if morals originate in nature they are universal and constant. However if they stem from social activity they are not inevitable and thus are both localised and temporary. Whilst Sophist’s argued for moral relativity through a conventional origin, Socrates and Plato argued the opposite. Aristotle attempted to reconcile the two sides in his Nicomachean Ethics (350BC).
The debate on nature and convention led to discussions on the best state of living, known as the good life. General consensus came to the conclusion that this involved active citizenship, healthy civic virtue and a denial of corruption which would undermine these values. Good political participation was understood to be beneficial to human success. Following on from this discussion of the good life, surfaced questions on the best method of how to rule.
Plato and Aristotle see three types of government: democratic, aristocratic and monarchical and considered mixed government was the best option. For Plato and Aristotle, and later the Roman Cicero, they believed that a combination of these three types of government was an ideal republic.
In De re public (54-51BC), Cicero set out to devise an ideal state. His ideas described an absolutist ruler who centred their policies on benefitting the people of the state. In his theoretical work Cicero defended the concept of monarchy, or a monarchy mixed with an oligarchy. However in reality he generally opposed men such as Julius Caesar and Octavian who attempted to gain this power.
Today a republic tends to mean a state without a monarchy, where elected public representatives hold power, although its exact meaning can be affected by cultural or historical context.
In political philosophy there are two types of Republicanism; classical republicans and neo republicans.
Classical or neo-Roman republican tradition: A loose tradition of writers who emphasise civic virtue, political participation, the dangers of corruption and the benefits of a mixed constitution. They include, among others, Machiavelli, eighteenth-century English commonwealth men, Jefferson, Madison and other American founding fathers. Classical republicans follow the rhetoric of classical thinkers, such as Cicero, in their arguments.
Neo republican tradition: In contemporary political philosophy it refers to an interpretation of classical republicanism generally associated with the works of Quentin Skinner and Philip Pettit. They claim the most essential republican value is political liberty, that is, independence from arbitrary power.