Towards a Hybrid Political Philosophy： Introduction to the Special Theme

To engage in political philosophy, in a sense, is to study, and to argue for or against justifications of a particular social and political order. What kind of social order one should have and how to establish this order have been reflected on at different levels since the beginning of the axial age. Questions about political order are important for human life because they are concerned with how to organise social institutions, how to distribute natural resources, economic wealth and political power, and how to place people in different classes or groups. The answers to these questions directly or indirectly affect people＇s perception and reception of justice, equality, rights, and responsibility, all of which are crucial for defining what the good life is and for determining how to realise social ideals. Focusing on political structures and their underlying principles, political philosophy engages matters not only of political significance but also of economic, cultural and communal value. Strictly speaking, however, political philosophy is mainly about the nature and function of the state and the government--the most significant social and political entity in any given country--asking and attempting to answer such questions as whether or not the government is necessary, how the government should be formed, where the government get its power, how it should exercise this power, and how the government get to legitimise its authority, etc.