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Buddhist Socio-Political Philosophy

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2. Buddhist Socio-Political Philosophy
2.1. Meaning of Political Philosophy
Political philosophy is the study of a person?s political and ideological formulations; it deals with the state, the government and the sovereignty or the ruler. In a given society, the state and the government need to regulate the power relations among people. It is the conceptualization of such relations that is central to political philosophy. In a given society, a distinct institution may structure these power relations between people. For example, in India caste is a key instrument in the structuralization of power relations, engendered to establish hegemonic and subordinate relations among people.[footnoteRef:2] [2: Kancha Ilaiah, God as Political Philosopher, …show more content…
has been defined as the science of the state.[footnoteRef:3] Laski says, ?The study of politics concerns itself with the life of men in relation to organized states?.[footnoteRef:4] We hear a great deal about ?the Welfare State,? ?State Control?, ?State Bureaucracy?, etc. The word ?state? should not be confused with a nation or country, though sometimes it is used in these senses, for example, the United States, Great Britain, and the Soviet Union.[footnoteRef:5] It is necessary to clarify what we mean by ?State?. [3: R.G. Gettle, Politcal Science, (Boston: Gin and Company, 1933), p. 03.] [4: D. M. Pickles, Introduction to Politics, (London: Methuen & Co., Ltd., 1972), p. 34.] [5: C.C. Rode and Others, Introduction to Political Science, (New York: McGraw Hill Book Company, 1976), p. …show more content…
The ruler is the protector of natural rights, including the right to life, liberty and property. The five moral laws, and some virtues among the ten royal virtues, clearly reflect many ideas supporting socio-political well-being. The concept of social welfare is presented through alms giving. The ruler must pay attention to the way of living of people by providing social welfare from state funds and personal funds. Such a system of social welfare makes the people, especially those who are in low status, have more confidence. It is like life insurance given by the ruler. It is an emergency way of solving economic problems. At the same time, lifelong employment should be arranged for

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