Critically discuss in light of your exposure to debates on the Egyptian Antecedents to Greek philosophy, the assertion that Sabine and Thorson that political philosophy can be restricted to the disciplined investigation of political problems and as such it was invented at a particular place (among the Greeks) at a particular time (5th century BC).
This paper seeks to verify the definition of political philosophy, to further analyze its origins and give evidence for the origin of political philosophy in Ancient Egypt. There has been great debate on what is political philosophy, Sabine and Thorson give a famous definition that political philosophy can be restricted to the disciplined investigation of political problems and as such it was invented at a particular place (among the Greek) at a particular time (5th century BC). This assertion rejects the idea that political theory is simply thoughts about politics or relevant to politics but it can only be, when there are political problems. .
In his introduction to Plato's The Republic, Desmond Lee refers to Plato Socrates and Aristotle as the founders of the intellectual tradition of the West. However the arguments for the original political thinkers can be hinted in Sabine and Thorson's"(Sabine, 1973). Greece is the place where Europeans contacted the civilization of the ancient middle east geographically hinting to the origin of greater civilization being Egypt.
In "Stolen Legacy,"(James, 2009) he argues that Desmond Lee's view of Plato, Socrates and Aristotle as the shapers of the intellectual tradition is flawed, he states that Socrates was executed for bringing foreign teachings also causing Plato and Aristotle to flee because "philosophy was something foreign and unknown to them. "He also makes the claim that Aristotle's knowledge came from his association with Alexander and his access to his libraries, claiming that after his death his pupils plagiarized the Egyptians work without the permission of the state, he deemed it plagiarism because the extent of Aristotle's knowledge seemed great in comparison with his life span and it was almost impossible for him to be knowledgeable in so many topics.
