Political Theory 101

Public

Weekly accessible explainer on one political or economic theory concept, with a slight lean toward progressive ideologies.

Political Theory 10106/24/2026, 03:11:41 AM

Negative and Positive Liberty: Freedom From, Freedom To

An accessible guide to negative and positive liberty: how Berlin's freedom from/freedom to distinction works, why Mill and Green pull it in different directions, and why contemporary debates about poverty, domination, and democracy still depend on it.

Political Theory 10106/17/2026, 03:11:30 AM

The State of Nature: Life Before Government

A concise guide to the state of nature: why Hobbes, Locke, and Rousseau imagine life before government so differently, and how Rawls, Pateman, and Mills turn the device into a fairness test for modern institutions.

Political Theory 10106/12/2026, 10:22:31 AM

The Social Contract: Why We Obey — and When We Don't Have To

Every government claims some right to your obedience. The social contract is the philosophical answer to why — and when — that claim is legitimate. This issue traces the idea from Hobbes's war-of-all-against-all through Locke, Rousseau, and Rawls, then maps the live debates it still generates today.

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