Chanakya, Confucius, Aquinas, Dante (AMPT)

Who was the chancellor or prime minister to Chandragupta and composed Arthashastra?

Chanakya (Kautilya)

Also known as the Science of Politics

Arthashastra

Who controlled northern India during 5th and 4th centuries BCE?

Nanda dynasty

University established 600 BC in Rawalpindi where ministers usually come from, including Chanakya.

Takshashila

Did Chanakya believe that there was no harm in using underhand means in politics?

Yes

Chanakya said that state activities should concentrate on?

dharma

According to Chanakya, what is required to be a good politician?

wisdom

Did Chanakya favored invasion and expansion of the state?

Yes

Chanakya said that state activities should perform both ___ and ___ functions

civil and military

Provide the 7 elements of state viz.

CLUE: S.A.J.D.K.B.M

swamin (lord or sovereign)

amatya (minister)

janapada (territory & population)

durga (fort)

kosha (territory)

bala (army)

mitra (ally)

Six types of armies according to Chanakya

hereditary forces

hired troops

soldiers for fighting corporation

troops belonging to an ally

troops belonging to an enemy

soldiers of wild tribes

Two types of allies according to Chanakya

sahaja (allies from time of forefathers)

kritrima (allies acquired to protect wealth & life)

**Sahaja is superior to Kritrima**

The ultimate goal of government according to Chanakya

welfare of the people

Provide the 6 things Chanakya describes in Arthashastra.

CLUE: P.A.T.W.A.A

personal qualities of the ruler

abilities of his advisors

territory and towns

wealth

army

allies

2

Who said that “Governance is possible only with assistance—a single wheel does not move.”

Chanakya

True of False. Chanakya believed in importance of advisors

True

True or False. Chanakya recognized realities of human nature

True

Is Arthashasta a work of moral philosophy? Why?

No. It is a practical guide to governance, and in ensuring the welfare and security of the state it often advocates using whatever means are necessary.

Who said “after victory has been achieved, the ruler should substitute his virtues for the defeated enemy’s vices, and where the enemy was good, he shall be twice as good.”

Chanakya

What year did the publication of the translation of the stupendous nature of the Arthashastra happened?

1915

What year did the translation of Arthashastra finished? and by who?

1909 by Rudrapatna Shamasastry

When did the Mauryan rule?

317-297 BCE

3 basic sources from where the king derives his power and authority

prabhavashakti (power of army and treasury)

mantrashakti (advice from mantriparishad and the wise)

utsah shakti (charisma and energy of the king)

What is the greatest and unique contribution of Kautilya?

He developed a unified and integrated view of the state.

Who said that ‘The Arthashastra provided a political philosophy to unify previously small political units, weld divergent groups into a broader cohesive identity and integrate diverse linguistic groups. The emphasis on the common weal was intended to cement a diverse and heterogeneous population. The end goal was social cohesion’

Naresha Duraiswamy

Who was the first ancient political thinker who adopted a scientific approach in his writings on the science of politics and economics.

Chanakya

When was the text of Arthashastra was rediscovered?

early 20th century

When did India won independence from Great Britain?

1948

Who said that “All things begin with counsel”

Chanakya

Who said that “A snake might not be poisonous but will always show up as venomous”

Chanakya

When and where was Confucius born?

551 BCE in Qufu, in the state of Lu, China

Original name of Confucius and what title did he earn later on?

Kong Qiu. Kong Fuzi, or “Master Kong.”

Confucius became administrator in the? And why did he left?

Zhou court. His suggestions to the rulers were ignored

Confucius lived at the end of China’s Spring and Autumn period which was a time of?

300 years of prosperity and stability during which there was a flowering of art, literature, and in particular, philosophy. This is also when the “Hundred Schools of Thought” emerged.

True of False. Scholars during Confucius’s time where appointed based on Merit rather than Family connections

True

Due to a system of meritocracy in China, conflict between hereditary rulers and scholars emerged. This era was known as?

The Warring States period

When did China enjoyed an era of great cultural development, and the philosophies that emerged at this time were known as the Hundred Schools of Thought.

770 to 220 BC

When did the Zhou dynasty decline

6th century BC

True of False. Confucius was conservative by nature

True

The main source we have for the teachings of Confucius is the?

Anaclets, a collection of fragments of his writings and sayings compiled by his disciples.

What does “junzi” mean

gentleman. a superior, virtuous man

Where and when did Confucius die?

Qufu, 479 BC

3 main virtues present in Confucius’s works

loyalty

duty

respect

True of False. In Confucius’s view, human nature is not perfect, but it is capable of being changed by the example of sincere virtue

True

True of False. Confucius believed in reciprocity, the idea that just and generous treatment will be met with a just and generous response

True

Who said that “If your desire is for good, the people will be good. The moral character of the ruler is the wind; the moral character of those beneath him is the grass. When the wind blows, the grass bends.”

Confucius

True or False. For Confucius, the benevolence of the sovereign and the loyalty of his subject mirror the loving father and obedient son relationship

True

5 “constant relationships” according to Confucius.

CLUE: SS.FS.HW.EY.FF

sovereign/subject

father/son

husband/wife

older brother/younger brother

friend/friend

True or False. Confucius believes that an unwise ruler should be removed

True

Who said that “The administration of government lies in getting proper men. Such men are to be gotten by means of the ruler’s own character. That character is to be cultivated by his treading in the ways of duty. And the treading of those ways of duty is to be cultivated by the cherishing of benevolence.”

Confucius

What was Confucius’s version of the golden rule?

“what you do not desire for yourself, do not do to others,”

True or False. Confucius felt that the best way to deal with crime lay in instilling a sense of shame for bad behavior

True

Who said that “He who governs by means of his virtue is like the North Star. It remains in its place while all the lesser stars pay homage to it”

Confucius

Chinese philosopher who said that Confucius’s emphasis on family relationships will lead to nepotism and cronyism

Mozi

When did peace return to China and Confucianism was adopted as official philosophy?

2nd Century BC

True of False. Confucianism continued to influence Chinese society until the Cultural Revolution

True

St. Thomas Aquinas was the son of?

the Count of Aquino

Aquinas was born in?

Roccasecca, Italy

Where did Aquinas study?

Monte Cassino and the University of Naples

What order was Aquinas supposed to join

Benedictine monk

What order did Aquinas actually join and when?

Dominican order in 1244

True or False? Aquinas acted as a papal advisor in Rome

True

When was Aquinas sent back to Paris and why?

1269. Due to a dispute over the compatibility of Averroes’s and Aristotle’s philosophies with Christian doctrine

When did Aquinas set up a new Domican university in Naples?

1272

When did Aquinas die?

1274

Which Greek Philosopher was the inspiration of Aquinas?

Aristotle

Famous works of Aquinas

Summa Theologica

De-Regmine Principum

Summa Contra Gentiles.

Aquinas’s most important work and when it was written

Summa contra Gentiles, 1259-64

5 proof of God’s existence in Aquinas’s Summa Theologica.

(1) argument of the unmoved mover

(2) argument of the first cause, which again depends upon the impossibility of an infinite regress

(3) there must be an ultimate source of all necessity

(4) we find various perfections in the world, and that these must have their source in something completely perfect.

(5) we find even lifeless things serving a purpose

Who said that “Reason in man is rather like God in the world”

St. Thomas Aquinas

Who said that “We should eliminate sin if we wish to eliminate the scourge of tyrants”

St. Thomas Aquinas

Who said that “Human beings are by their nature social and political, living in community even more than every other animal”

St. Thomas Aquinas

According to Aquinas, what is the goal of law

promote happiness and common good

True of False. Aquinas believed that law was closely connected with justice

True

The four-fold classifications of law according to Aquinas

CLUE: E.N.D.H

Eternal law

Natural law

Devine law

Human law

law which governs both animate and inanimate kingdoms. Governs whole universe and functions in different ways both rational and irrational worlds. Identical with reason and is truth in itself . The eternal plan of Divine wisdom by which the whole creation is ordered.

Eternal law

Law which is written in the heart of the people. Reflection of divine reason in human beings. Helps in distinguishing between good and evil, also in seeking good and avoiding evil. Develops the idea that man is bound to live in society. Seeks the welfare of the community as a whole.

Natural law

Law which is the outcome of commands of God through revelation. Not the result of natural reason but a gift of God. Law which varies from community to community and changes from time to time. Special code of laws which God gave to the Jews as the chosen people or the special rules of Christian morals.

Divine law

Law which is the outcome of human customs and conventions and has its origin in human wisdom. Promulgated by the princes. These laws are not against human reasons and should aim at common rather than individual welfare. Derived from natural law and is subordinate to that law.

Human law

Who was Dante’s father and mother

Alighiero II and GABRIELLA DEGLI ABATI

What family does Dante’s mother have strong ties with?

Ghibelline

When and where was Dante born. What was his original name

May 1265 in Florence, Italy. Durante (enduring)

True or False. Dante was not a papalist but pro-monarchist.

True

Dante’s most important work

DeMonarchia which came out in 1311 AD

True or False. Dante supported Imperialism and the idea of universal monarchy

True

True of False. A monarch should act as international tribunal and settle disputes.

True

What is a good monarch according to Dante

Thought himself as servant of the people and not their ruler

True or False. A king derived his authority from God and not from the Church

True

Which Pope was the enemy of Dante

POPE BONIFACE VIII

Which emperor did Dante supported?

HENRY VII OF LUXEMBOURG

What the chief goal of all human society according to Dante. And how can this be achieved?

Universal peace. Through a single world government with a single world monarch

What is Dante’s definition of temporal monarchy

single supreme authority over all persons in the physical world

According to Dante, when can human society best exercise its intellectual potential

In times of peace

According to Dante, who will settle disputes between two monarchs?

A single sovereign or someone higher than them

Who said that “perfect being is perfect unity, and perfect unity is perfect goodness”

Dante

True of False. Citing Aristotle, Dante asserts as well that other peoples are ordained to be ruled.

True

Who said that “From a little spark may burst a flame”

Dante

True of False. Dante states that while he has proved that the authority of the emperor is not from the pope, he still must prove that it is directly from God.

True

What is the dual nature of humanity according to Dante

body and mind