Embarking on the challenging journey of the UPSC Mains examination requires a strategic and comprehensive approach, especially when it comes to optional subjects. Political Science and International Relations (PSIR) is a popular choice among aspirants, and delving into the Western Political Thought section demands a nuanced understanding of influential ideas that have shaped political discourse. In this blog series, we will meticulously dissect and analyze the Previous Year Questions (PYQs) from 2013 to 2023 related to Western Political Thought in the PSIR optional paper. By unraveling the patterns and nuances of these questions, aspirants can gain invaluable insights into the examiners’ expectations and refine their preparation strategy to navigate this crucial section with confidence.
Exploring the realm of Western Political Thought is like embarking on a historical and intellectual journey that spans centuries and continents. From the foundational works of political philosophers like Plato and Aristotle to the modern perspectives of thinkers like John Rawls and Hannah Arendt, this optional topic offers a rich tapestry of ideas that have influenced the very fabric of governance and societal structures. Join us in this exploration as we decipher the trends in UPSC’s approach to Western Political Thought questions over the years, providing aspirants with a roadmap to effectively tackle this section and enhance their chances of success in the UPSC Mains examination.
Western Political Thought – Previous Year Questions (UPSC CSE Mains PSIR Optional)
Plato
1. Comment: ‘Reality is a shadow of ideas’. (Plato) (1992)
2. Comment: “For, no law or ordinance is mightier than knowledge.”. (Plato) (1993)
3. Comment: “Until philosophers are kings, or kings and princes of this world have the spirit and power of philosophy, cities will never have rest from evil.” (2000)
4. Explain Plato’s communism and compare it with modern communism. (2003)
5. Plato’s theory of education ‘is the logical result of his conception of justice’. Discuss. (2004)
6. Comment: “The State is Individual Writ Large.” (Plato) (2005)
7. Comment: “State is individual writ _large.” (Plato) (2006)
8. Comment: “Plato’s communism is a supplementary machinery to give effect to and reinforce that spirit which education is to create.” (Nettleship) (2007)
9. Comment: “Western thought, one might say, has been either platonic or anti-platonic but hardly ever non – platonic.” (Popper) (2009)
10. “Plato was an enemy of the open society.” (Popper) Comment. (2015)
11. Trace the evolution of Western Political Thought from ancient to contemporary period. (2020)
Aristotle
1. Comment: ‘The aims persued by revolutionaries, like the origins of revolution, are the same in tyrannies and kingships as they are under regular Constitutions.’ (1991)
2. Comment: “The authority of the master and that of the statesman are different from one another.” (Aristotle) (1994)
3. Comment: “Rule of law is better than rule of men.” (Aristotle) (1995)
4. Comment: “Slavery is natural and beneficial both for the master and the slave.” (Aristotle)(1996)
5. Comment: “Polity is the best practicable form of government.” (Aristotle) (1998)
6. Comment: “Polity or constitutional government may be described generally as a fusion of oligarchy and democracy.” (Aristotle) (1999)
7. Comment: “The polis exists by nature and that it is prior to the individual.” (2002)
8. Attempt a critique of Aristotle’s ideas on slavery. (2006)
9. Comment: “The state is a creation of nature and man is by nature a political animal.” (Aristotle) (2011)
10. Central to Aristotle’s political thought is his classification of the different types of political constitutions in the Politics. Evaluate. (2014)
11. Comment in 150 words: Aristotle’s Conception of Equality. (2015)
12. Everywhere, inequality is a cause of revolution – Aristotle. Comment. (2017)
13. Explain Aristotle’s critique of Plato’s Idealism. (2019)
14. Explain the Aristotelian view of politics. To what extent do you think it has contributed – to the development of modern-day constitutional democracies? (2021)
Machiavelli
1. Comment: “The prince must be fox and the lion at the same time.” (Machiavelli) (1998)
2. Comment: Power is an end in itself and he (Machiavelli) inquires into the means that are best suited to acquire, retain and expand power, thus separates power from morality, ethics, religion and metaphysics. (Ebenstein on Machiavelli) (2000)
3. Comment “Machiavelli’s political philosophy was narrowly local and narrowly dated.” (Sabine) (2003)
4. Discuss the importance of Machiavelli in the history of political thought. Is it correct to say that Machiavelli’s theory is ‘narrowly local and narrowly dated’? (2007)
5. Draw parallels between Arthashastra tradition and the ‘Realist’ tradition represented by Machiavelli. (2012)
6. Explain how Machiavelli’s application of empirical method to human affairs marks an important stage in the evolution of political science. (2014)
7. Critically examine Machiavelli’s views on religion and politics. (2018)
8. Comment in 150 words: Machiavelli’s secularism. (2020)
Hobbes
1. Comment: “The end of obedience is protection.” (Thomas Hobbes). (1993)
2. Comment: “The end of every man is continued success in obtaining those things which he from time to time, desires. (Hqbbes) (1995)
3. Comment: “Hobbes relieved sovereignty completely from the disabilities which Bodin 4. had inconsistently left standing.” (Sabine) (1998)
4. “Rousseau’s theory of Social Contract in Hobbes’s Leviathan with its head chopped off.” Discuss. (1998)
5. Consider: “Liberty or freedom, signifies properly the absence of opposition in external impediments of motion.” (Hobbes) (1999)
6. Comment: “Hobbes starts as an individualist but ends as an absolutist”. (2004)
7. Comment: Hobbes as an individualist. (2011)
8. Comment in 150 words: “Covenants without swords are but words and of no strength to secure a man at all.” (Hobbes) (2013)
9. Comment on the assertion of Laslett that Filmer and not Hobbes was the main antagonist of Locke. (2013)
10. Comment: “How would and my fellow human beings behave if we were to find ourselves in a state of nature, and what does this behavior tells us about our innate predispositions?” (Thomas Hobbes) (2016)
11. Comment on Hobbesian notion of Political Obligation (150 words) (2017)
Locke
1. Comment: ‘The condition of human life, which requires labour and materials to work on, necessarily introduces private possessions.’ (John Locke). (1991)
2. Comment: “No man can be deprived of his property without his consent.” (Locke) (1996)
3. “It is hard indeed to turn the Lockean doctrine into any kind of unqualified democratic theory.” (Mcpherson) Discuss. (1996)
4. Comment: “Whoever therefore out of a State of Nature united into a Commonwealth _must be understood to give up all the Power necessary to the Ends for which they united into Society, to the majority of the Community.” ·(Locke) (1997)
5. Comment: “The great and chief end, therefore, of men uniting into commonwealths, and putting themselves under government, is the preservation of property; to which in the state of nature there are many things waiting.” (John Locke) (1999)
6. Comment: “The great and chief aim of men’s uniting, into a Commonwealth and putting themselves under Government is the preservation of property.” (Locke) (2008)
7. It is said where there is no law there is no liberty. Give your view on this statement. (2011)
8. ‘Locke is an individualist out and out.’ Substantiate this statement. (2012)
9. John Locke is the father of liberalism. Explain. (2018)
Hegel and Marx
1. Comment: ‘The anatomy of civil society is to be sought in its political economy.’ (Marx) (1992)
2. Marx treats individual primarily as a member of a class.’ Critically examine his views on the ‘economic man.’ (1992)
3. Critically examine the Marxian theory of social stratification. (1994)
4. Comment: “Contradiction is the very moving principle of the world.” (Hegel) (1996)
5. Comment: “It is not the consciousness of men that determines their being, but, on the contrary, their social being determines their consciousness.” (Marx) (1997)
6. Comment: ” all human history is a process whereby ideas· objectify themselves in material reality. (Hegel) (1999)
7. Comment: “State is a march of God on the Earth.” (Hegel) (2000)
8. “The history of all hitherto existing society is· the history of class struggle.” (Karl Marx) Comment. (2003)
9. Explain Hegel’s theory of dialectical idealism. (2004)
10. Comment: “. that the anatomy of this civil society, however, has to be sought in Political economy.” (Marx) (2006)
11. Examine in detail Marx’s prescription for ending alienation and reaching the stage of de- alienation. (2009)
12. Discuss the relationship between base and superstructure in Marxist theory. (2015)
13. Explain Marx’s understanding of Human Essence and Alienation. (2016)
14. Discuss Karl Marx’s concept of class. (2020)
15. Marx’s concept of ‘alienation’ is an essential part of the reality in capitalism. (2021)
Lenin
1. Comment: Lenin’s theory of ‘Democratic Centralism’. (1991)
2. Comment: “Leninism is Marxism in the epoch of imperialism and proletarian revolution.” (Stalin) (1998)
3. Comment: “Marx’s work could be seen as a compound of three elements-Green philosophy, English political economy and French socialism.” (Lenin) (1999)
Hannah Arendt
1. Critically examine Hannah Arendt’s conceptual triad of labour, work and action. (2019)
J.S. Mill
1. Comment: “The worth of a state, in the long run, is the worth of the individuals composing it.” (J. S. Mill) (1995)
2. Comment: “The worth of a State, in the long run, is the worth of the individuals composing it.” (J. S. Mill) (1996)
3. Discuss how early radical liberalism was modified by Jolin Stuart Mill. (1998)
4. Critically examine: “In the first place, it is mostly considered unjust to deprive anyone of his personal liberty, his property or any other thing which belongs to him by law “. (John Stuart Mill) (1999)
5. Comment: “Mill was the prophet of an empty liberty and an abstract individual”. (Barker) (2004)
6. Comment: “The sole end for which mankind are warranted, individually or collectively, in interfering with the liberty of action of any of their number is self-protection.” (J.S. Mill) (2005)
7. Comment: “The worth of a State is the worth of individuals composing it.” (J. S. Mill) (2011)
8. Comment in 150 words: “All silencing of discussion is an assumption of infallibility.” (J. S’. Mill) (2014)
9. Comment in 150 words: John Stuart Mill is a ‘reluctant democrat’. – C. L. Wayper (2018)
10. Comment in about 150 words: J.S. Mill’s ideas on women suffrage. (2021)
Miscellaneous thinkers
1. Comment: ‘The relation of the state and its parts to tranquility will be seen to be similar to the relation of the animal and its parts to -health.’ (Marsiglio of Padua) (1991)
2. Comment: “Sin, therefore is the mother of servitude, and first cause of men’s subjection to men.” (St. Augustjne) (1997)
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Q: What is Western Political Thought and why is it important for UPSC aspirants?
Western Political Thought refers to the ideas and theories developed by political philosophers and thinkers in the Western world throughout history. It encompasses a wide range of ideologies, from ancient Greece to contemporary times. Understanding Western Political Thought is crucial for UPSC aspirants as it provides insights into the foundational principles that have shaped political structures and governance systems globally. This knowledge is particularly relevant for the Political Science and International Relations (PSIR) optional paper in the UPSC Mains examination.
Q: Who are some key figures in Western Political Thought that aspirants should focus on?
Aspirants should familiarize themselves with the works of prominent figures such as Plato, Aristotle, Thomas Hobbes, John Locke, Jean-Jacques Rousseau, Karl Marx, John Stuart Mill, and others. These thinkers have significantly influenced political philosophy, offering diverse perspectives on topics like justice, governance, liberty, and the role of the state. A thorough understanding of their ideas is essential for answering UPSC questions related to Western Political Thought.
Q: How can I effectively prepare for Western Political Thought in the UPSC Mains exam?
To prepare for Western Political Thought, start by building a strong foundation in the key philosophical ideas and concepts. Read the original texts of influential thinkers and complement your studies with relevant secondary sources. Analyze Previous Year Questions (PYQs) to identify patterns and focus on areas that are frequently tested. Additionally, practice writing answers to develop the skill of articulating your thoughts clearly and concisely.
Q: Are there any specific themes within Western Political Thought that are frequently covered in UPSC exams?
UPSC tends to cover a variety of themes within Western Political Thought, including concepts of justice, democracy, rights, the role of the state, and the social contract. Aspirants should be prepared to explore how these ideas have evolved over time and their implications for contemporary political issues. Understanding the historical context of each philosopher’s work is crucial for providing nuanced and comprehensive answers.
Q: Is it necessary to memorize quotes from Western political thinkers for the exam?
While memorizing quotes is not mandatory, incorporating relevant quotes into your answers can enhance the depth and quality of your response. Focus on understanding the essence of the thinkers’ ideas and use quotes judiciously to support your arguments. However, prioritize clarity and coherence in your answers over a mere display of memorized quotes. Effective interpretation and application of philosophical concepts to real-world scenarios are key to scoring well in the Western Political Thought section of the UPSC Mains exam.
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