Short Communication | DOI: https://doi.org/10.31579/2835-9232/106
Philosophical Terminology of Democracy from Axial Period to Rawls*
- Mohammadreza Shahi Dipak *
PostdocinphilosophyIslamic Azad University Central Tehran Branch.
*Corresponding Author: Mohammadreza Shahi Dipak, Postdocinphilosophy Islamic Azad University Central Tehran Branch.
Citation: Mohammadreza Shahi Dipak, (2025), Philosophical Terminology of Democracy from Axial Period to Rawls, International Journal of Clinical Epidemiology, 4(4); DOI: 10.31579/2835-9232/106
Copyright: © 2025, Mohammadreza Shahi Dipak, this is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.
Received: 25 June 2025 | Accepted: 14 July 2025 | Published: 21 July 2025
Keywords: terminology; democracy; political liberalism; Confucius; individual; city; hobbes, locke; ibn Khaldun; averroes; rawls
Abstract
There is paradoxical phenomenon of Democracy that is one word but by very different concepts between philosophers of east and west of the world. Priority of philosophy on Democracy is the main subject of research and the study of the terminology of democracy throughout history of philosophy has proved this hypothesis.Research studied democracy as a social and political and philosophical phenomenon. Any scholars have been studied social philosophy of democracy by various methods. Paper investigated it by reexamine the story of city in passing of history. There are same Philosophical Argument In ancient period, about City, politics and democracy .it has a unit root in Axial Period of china, Greco-Roman world, Indian and Persian, But the beginning of the academic approach to democracy is based on the classic pattern of city- state of Greece And shaping city upon democracy Has been in the form of tension between the individual and society. Paper, has re-examined democracy as a philosophy of harmonious social changes in the context of the ideas of Confucius, Socrates, Plato, Aristotle, Augustine, al-Farabi, Avicenna, Ibn Khaldun, Averroes, Hobbes and Hegel, Marx , Bentham and Rawls who introduced democracy as a political liberalism .
Introduction
1 Common intellectual elements of democracy in Axial Period
There are same Philosophical Argument In the vocabulary of Axial Period of china, Greco-Roman world, Indian, Persian and. Hundred Schools of Thought Confucianism and Taoism arose during this era with depth influence in social changes in China, Confucius (479-551.B.C) as a political philosopher [6] try for reforming of societies upon equality of Man in nature .he is arguably the most influence philosopher in human history ,is because ,taking Chinese philosophy on its term [10] and Abrahamic religions, Zoroastrianism in Persia and Syria and in Greece ,thought of Heraclitus and any philosopher before Socrates . Interesting and uninteresting to kind of law for changing Man and societies is common intellectual elements of thought in Axial Period. And there is same struggle for explaining the sense of most common element in Axial Period that named ,YIN – YANG ( 阴阳- 陰陽) in china philosophy, in different language as a Good and evil in Abrahamic religions special in Zoroastrianism in Persia.
2 Social philosophy in Greece paradigm, Plato, Aristotle.
In ancient Greece, Upon Common opinion of Socrates, Plato and Aristotle, society is a natural institute and necessity evil they prepared any philosophical argument about citizenship [14]. Socrates who brought philosophy to city and among people. Plato and Aristotle determined the any character of citizen for shaping cities and citizenship upon justice and Democracy and Aristotle begun his book politics, with the word , city and he expressed the physical body of democracy [1] . They introduced the classics definition of social terminology of social philosophy [7].
3 Democratic fellow of philosophical thought of Averroes in Medieval
IN first of Medieval Augustine straggled to reexamine political and sociological thought of Plato for explaining the fall of democracy in ancient Rome [4] but in final of medieval Islamic philosopher as a , Al – Farbi, Avicenna ,Averroes maintaind ancient philosophy and reexamined political and sociological philosophy of Aristotle [5] .they translated and transferred Aristotle philosophy and established paradigm for relation between individual and society and they classified societies by political evil and Good .there is democratic fellow of philosophical thought of Averroes speared from Andalusia [12] Averroes maintained, transferred and restructure of Plato, Aristotle philosophy . He established philosophical open space that it conflicted with close atmosphere of Europe, north Africa and Islamic states. He succeeded for any changings in medieval societies [2].
4 Human and natural right as a paradigm of democracy in modern period in east and west of the world
In the modern period of western history, Hobbes (1679), Locke (1704), and Rousseau (1778) by analyzing and critiquing the social philosophy of Aristotle and Plato introduced the new image of practical relation between democracy and city .Kant (1804), Hegel (1831) and Marx (1883) by re-thinking the evolution of Greek political philosophy of democracy based on freedom and equality, education, peace, human right and religion. And Bentham (1832) showed the economic play between democracy and city in utility theory of democracy. They continued to study the new performance and new shaping cities by new imagination of democracy in the world and they determined relation between peace and human right as a core of democracy. In east philosophy china sun yat -sen (1866-1921) established special political and sociological and philosophical theory upon Democracy [8].
5 Rawls, Political liberalism as a paradigm of democracy for contemporary period
Author wrote any book in democracy [11], as a book with title: political liberalism as project for department of philosophy of Purdue University by super advisor of Professor William L. McBride (USA).Book research intellectual element of political liberalism from ancient philosophy to Rawls. From Rawls (2002) to Dahl (2014) appeared political liberalism as best theory for accomplishment of democracy in the field of social and political philosophy. Rawls analyzed shaping city upon justice by rethinking again the state of nature of Hobbes [10]. Finally Democracy is at the heart of contemporary research, including pluralistic theory of democracy that established by Robert Dahl.
6 As a result: paradox of democracy as a YIN – YANG
The subject of philosophy is changing of natural, human, society, and history, philosophy have a natural priory to Democracy as a flag of political and sociological changing. Philosophy select societies and man and societies don’t select philosophy. This phenomenon of priority of philosophy to Democracy occurred in eastern philosophy where philosophy came from haven to earth and combined with religion. But there is in history of sociological and political philosophy, in any region philosopher appeared consequence of liberal institute and in another region philosopher appeared after anarchism. Democratization fixed axis of political studies. City always in transition from totalitarianism to liberal as a YIN – YANG in permanent conflict and democracy is the only as play in city and set its map and the central axis of the policy network in history of philosophy and democracy and democratic consolidation finally.
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