“Philosophy is much more important than politics, but we have to deal with politics because politics is the measuring rod of the philosophy... It's important that we... try to get the truth out...”

“We live in a stage of politics, where legislators seem to regard the passage of laws as much more important than the results of their enforcement.”

William Howard Taft (1857–1930) American politician, 27th President of the United States (in office from 1909 to 1913)

“The political philosophy of black nationalism means: we must control the politics and the politicians of our community.”

Malcolm X (1925–1965) American human rights activist

“Today political science is often said to be ‘descriptive’ or ‘empirical,’ concerned with facts; political philosophy is called ‘normative’ because it expresses values. But these terms merely repeat in more abstract form the difference between political science, which seeks agreement, and political philosophy, which seeks the best.”

Harvey Mansfield (1932) Author, professor

“Political philosophy has lost its credibility in proportion as politics itself has become more philosophic than ever in a sense.”

Leo Strauss (1899–1973) Classical philosophy specialist and father of neoconservativism

“Philosophy is a hypothetical interpretation of the unknown (as in metaphysics), or of the inexactly known (as in ethics or political philosophy); it is the front trench in the siege of truth.”

Will Durant book The Story of Philosophy

“The price of freedom—of individuality—is attention to politics, careful planning, careful organization; philosophy is no more a barrier against political disaster than it is against plague.”

Greg Bear (1951) American writer best known for science fiction

“I think that it’s important always to retain awareness of what you call core ideas, including those in the tradition of political philosophy. I think keeping in touch with those earlier political philosophers, being aware of them as part of our training, I think that’s still quite worthwhile. I know, or I would guess less and less of that may be taking place. But at the same time, I think that we should try to remain aware of the richness and complexity of the world that we deal with out there, and how much more, in a way—[laughing] it’s always been complex, but how much more complex it’s grown. Especially the field of democracy now, in just the sheer number and varieties.”

Robert A. Dahl (1915–2014) American political scientist

“Society did not recognize philosophy or the right of philosophizing. There was no harmony between philosophy and society. The philosophers were very far from being exponents of society or of parties. They defended the interests of philosophy and of nothing else. In doing this, they believed indeed that they were defending the highest interests of mankind. The exoteric teaching was needed for protecting philosophy. It was the armor in which philosophy had to appear. It was needed for political reasons. It was the form in which philosophy became visible to the political community. It was the political aspect of philosophy. It was "political" philosophy.”

Leo Strauss book Persecution and the Art of Writing

“Equations are more important to me, because politics is for the present, but an equation is something for eternity. ”

Albert Einstein (1879–1955) German-born physicist and founder of the theory of relativity