Political philosophy studies the theoretical and conceptual foundations of politics. It examines the nature, scope, and legitimacy of political institutions, such as states. It investigates different forms of government, ranging from democracy to authoritarianism, and the values guiding political action, like justice, equality, and liberty. Political philosophy focuses on desirable norms and values, in contrast to political science, which emphasizes empirical description. Political philosophy has its roots in antiquity, such as the theories of Plato and Aristotle (both pictured) in ancient Greek philosophy, with discussions on the nature of justice and ideal states. Confucianism, Taoism, and legalism emerged in ancient Chinese philosophy, while Hindu and Buddhist political thought developed in ancient India. The modern period marked a shift towards secularism as diverse schools of thought developed, such as social contract theory, liberalism, conservatism, utilitarianism, Marxism, and anarchism. (Full article...).

Read more: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Political_philosophy

_______________________________ Today's selected anniversaries:

1972:

Seawise University, formerly RMS Queen Elizabeth, an ocean liner that sailed the Atlantic for Cunard Line, caught fire in Victoria Harbour, Hong Kong. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RMS_Queen_Elizabeth

1981:

U.S. representative Raymond Lederer was convicted of bribery and conspiracy for his role in the Abscam scandal, but continued to serve his term for three more months. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Raymond_Lederer

1996:

First Chechen War: Chechen separatists launched raids in the city of Kizlyar, Dagestan, which turned into a massive hostage crisis involving thousands of civilians. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kizlyar%E2%80%93Pervomayskoye_hostage_crisis

2015:

A hostage situation, related to the Charlie Hebdo shooting, occurred at a Jewish market in Vincennes. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hypercacher_kosher_supermarket_siege

_____________________________ Wiktionary's word of the day:

adamantine: 1. Synonym of adamant. 2. Made of adamant (“an unspecified mineral or rock of virtually impenetrable hardness”). 3. (figurative) 4. Incapable of being broken, dissolved, or penetrated; impenetrable, unbreakable. 5. Difficult to defeat or prevail over; unshakable, unyielding. 6. Of a person: refusing to change one's mind; obstinate, stubborn. 7. (obsolete) Having the quality of attracting or drawing; attractive, magnetic. 8. (chiefly mineralogy) Like diamond in lustre; bright, lustrous, shiny; also, of a lustre: like that of a mineral with a high refractive index such as diamond. [...] 9. About Word of the Day 10. Nominate a word 11. Leave feedback https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/adamantine

___________________________ Wikiquote quote of the day:

In the age of nuclear warfare to continue our political differences by means of war would be to discontinue civilization as we know it. War is an option whose time has passed. Peace is the only option for the future. At present we occupy a treacherous no-man's-land between peace and war, a time of growing fear that our military might has expanded beyond our capacity to control it and our political differences widened beyond our ability to bridge them.   --Richard Nixon https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Richard_Nixon