SİYASAL DÜŞÜNCE - Deneme Sınavı - 3

Augustine’s most famous contribution to theology was the doctrine of predestination, a position that is only pronounced later in life. Thus, the correct answer is B.

Medieval thinkers took many ideas from the law texts. The doctrine that either the pope or emperor (or both) has a ‘fullness of power’ is also among those ideas. Thus, the correct answer is E.

In the philosophy of law, civil law is used as a term standing for positive law, that is, law made and legitimised by the approval of the members of a community/society. Thus, the correct answer is D.

Thomas Aquinas claims that the best form of government is a mixed government combining elements of democracy, aristocracy, and kingship. Thus, the correct answer is A.

Another issue that signifies John of Salisbury’s thought as worthy of attention is the analogy he sets between different offices of political society and the distinct parts of human body. Thus, the correct answer is C.

Although all the options above are attributed to Aristotle, one of them totally contradicts with what he actually believed. Aristotle stated that “the rule of law is better than the rule of men”. Thus, the correct answer is E.

Christianity is agreed to be indifferent to matters of slavery; which is also compatible with the Ancient Greek thought

The Christian theologians of late antiquity are referred to as the Fathers of the Church. The most influential of them in medieval Europe was Augustine; others included Ambrose, Cyprian, and Gregory.

Two cities, the city of God and the earthly city, are distinguished by two loves, love of God and (misdirected) love of self, which are destined to end up in heaven and hell, respectively.

Eschaton is a theological term, meaning the final event in the divine plan; the end of the world. It stems from the Greek word eskhatos, meaning “the last”.

Legibus solutus means solved/released from laws; and used to denote the situation when the ruler is not subject to the sanctions of laws, or, when the ruler- a tyrant, or a dictator in this case- sees himself as “above the laws”

Dominium, as a legal term in Latin, means ownership or right to possess a property, or, to have control over a certain property, i.e., the right to use it.

Natural law (ius naturale) is a system of right or justice held to be common to all human beings and derived from nature, rather than from the rules of society, i.e., positive law

In proposing the political ideas of the Policraticus, John of Salisbury sought to illustrate the principle that philosophy is helpful in achieving the good life of both the individual and the entire community. John’s thought is of vital importance; because it primarily confronts with the tensions between the demands of everyday life-whether in the classroom or at court, and the requirements of living well in a moral and religious sense.

Thomas Aquinas claims that the best form of government is a mixed government combining elements of democracy, aristocracy and kingship.

In the Work of Ninety Days, William of Ockham advocates for the thesis that the highest form of religious poverty is to live without property or any other right enforceable by a human court.

Political ideas in the Bible concerning obedience might be summarised as follows:

1. The human beings are usually ruled by kings or emperors. There are very few traces of republican institutions in the Bible (There is one exception: 1 Machabees 8: 14–16 is an admiring description of Roman republican government.)

2. Kings are quite often evil; and are tyrants and enemies of God. The ruled often share the bad deeds of the rulers.

3. The kingship of King David is a model (although David also often sinned).

4. Subjects must obey rulers, even the wicked. It is wrong to disobey, and especially to make any attack on the person of the ruler (2 Samuel 1:14–16).

5. But obedience to rulers is always limited by obedience to the commands of God. That means, the supremacy and the sovereignty of God is thought as superior to any worldly rule or ruler.

Christianity is agreed to be indifferent to matters of slavery; which is also compatible with the Ancient Greek thought. The following quotations from the different parts of The New Testament show that slavery is not considered a big social problem in the eyes of Christianity. Moreover, Christianity advises slaves to be obedient to their masters, regardless of whether they are good or evil:

“…Let every man abide in the same calling in which he was called. Wast thou called, being a bondman? care not for it … For he that is called in the Lord, being a bondman, is the freeman of the Lord. Likewise he that is called, being free, is the bondman of Christ…” (Corinthians 7: 20–22).

Monasticism or monkhood is a religious way of life in which one renounces worldly pursuits to devote oneself fully to spiritual work.

Argumentum ad hominem means argument toward human; and used when the criticism/objection is directed against a certain individual/society in person, rather than against the opponent’s thoughts/ideas.

Augustine had offered to prove that by Cicero’s definition, the Romans never had a republic: “I shall attempt to show that no such commonwealth ever existed, because true justice was never present in it” (City of God II.21, p. 80), since the Romans did not obey the true God (ibid, XIX.21). But this is an argumentum ad hominem.