Government and Political Philosophy

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government

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the institution through which a society makes and enforces its public policies

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public policies

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all of the things a government decides to do

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legislative power

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the power to make laws and to frame public policies

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executive power

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the power to execute, enforce, and administer laws

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judicial power

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the power to interpret laws, to determine their meaning, and to settle disputes that arise within society

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dictatorship

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form a government where those who rule cannot be held responsible to the will of the people

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democracy

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form of government where supreme authority rests with the people

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Aristotle

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(384-322 BC) Greek philosopher who viewed the lives of individual humans as linked to social context. He wrote about various types of government and the obligations of the individual citizens.

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state

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a body of people, living in a defined territory, organized politically (that is, with a government) and with the power to make and enforce law without the consent of any higher authority

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sovereign

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when a state has supreme and absolute power within its own territory and can decide its own foreign and domestic policies