# What is the most signicant political text ever written? **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [August 9, 2008, 11:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-most-signicant-political-text-ever-written/459444 "2008-08-09T23:01:06Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![UltraVires](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/ecccb3/32.png) [@UltraVires](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UltraVires)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2008, 6:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-most-signicant-political-text-ever-written/459444/22 "2008-08-10T18:05:18Z")
Jake Featherston’s “Over Open Sights” Oh, wait, that didn’t really happen… ---
**Author:** ![mswas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e99b99/32.png) [@mswas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mswas)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2008, 6:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-most-signicant-political-text-ever-written/459444/23 "2008-08-10T18:16:35Z")
Plato’s Republic ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2008, 6:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-most-signicant-political-text-ever-written/459444/24 "2008-08-10T18:57:43Z")
Issac Newton’s _Philosophiæ Naturalis Principia Mathematica_. Previously, it was generally assumed that heaven and Earth were different, with different laws and rules. Newton proposed instead that gravitation was constant and what applied on Earth would apply just as well anywhere in the universe. I figured this the beginning of the end of assuming heaven was special, and thus the beginning of the end of religion itself, though Newton himself wouldn’t have seen it as such. The political effect was profound. ---
**Author:** ![mbh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a6a055/32.png) [@mbh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mbh)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2008, 8:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-most-signicant-political-text-ever-written/459444/25 "2008-08-10T20:07:29Z")
> [@](#): > > by\*\* Švejk \*\* > Come on, that doesn’t make it inferior or less relevant in and of itself. What really makes _Discorsi_ better than _Il Principe?_ _Il Principe_ was a brief pamphlet. _Discorsi_ was a detailed treatise. Machiavelli wrote _Il Principe_ to curry favor with his political enemies. _Discorsi_ gives advise on how to run a government he approves of. ---
**Author:** ![casdave](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c6cbf5/32.png) [@casdave](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/casdave)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2008, 9:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-most-signicant-political-text-ever-written/459444/26 "2008-08-10T21:03:09Z")
‘On the origin of the species’ was not intended to be a political publication, however very many other manifestos, publications etc have been based upon the idea of Survival of the most fit. True that this was preverted into ‘survival of the fittest’ and was used for the foundation of eugenics, communism, fascism and ultimately was used in the most odious of ways. It’s impossible to describe the modern world without it though, and its still the source of huge fundametalist arguments in the Western world since it dealt creationism a huge blow from which it has sought to recover for the past hundred or so years. I think this, Principia Mathematica , and the Lutherian notices probably rate among the most important works ever, especially as two of them fundamentally change the relationship of God with Man, and today all the worlds religions struggle to cope with the implications of these. ---
**Author:** ![Sam\_Stone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Sam\_Stone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sam_Stone)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2008, 11:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-most-signicant-political-text-ever-written/459444/27 "2008-08-10T23:46:46Z")
I’d toss a vote in for “The Wealth of Nations” by Adam Smith. ---
**Author:** ![Sage\_Rat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sage_rat/32/399_2.png) [@Sage\_Rat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sage_Rat)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2008, 2:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-most-signicant-political-text-ever-written/459444/28 "2008-08-11T02:41:18Z")
It’s hard to lock down a particular text in regards to the modern system between John Locke, Thomas Paine, Adam Smith, The Federalist Papers, and the Cato Letters, as well as others. But essentially the most important work would have to be one of those or one of Karl Marx’s offerings. Personally I’d nominate Democratic Republics/Capitalism over Socialism of the two since while certainly Marx had a large effect, his ideas were stupid and in the end lead to the deaths and murders of more people on the planet than any other disaster ever. I’m not sure I want to say thus that his writings are “significant” except (hopefully) as a historical sidenote. ---
**Author:** ![Airman\_Doors\_USAF](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e36b37/32.png) [@Airman\_Doors\_USAF](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Airman_Doors_USAF)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2008, 2:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-most-signicant-political-text-ever-written/459444/29 "2008-08-11T02:47:28Z")
The US Constitution or the Declaration of Independence. It is for you to decide which. ---
**Author:** ![pingnak](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/94ad74/32.png) [@pingnak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pingnak)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2008, 3:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-most-signicant-political-text-ever-written/459444/30 "2008-08-11T03:20:28Z")
Whatever damned post I’m currently typing! Well, I don’t actually CARE if it’s significant to YOU. I just like to rant, is all… ---
**Author:** ![mswas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e99b99/32.png) [@mswas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mswas)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2008, 3:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-most-signicant-political-text-ever-written/459444/31 "2008-08-11T03:23:45Z")
[QUOTE=Sage Rat] It’s hard to lock down a particular text in regards to the modern system between John Locke, Thomas Paine, Adam Smith, The Federalist Papers, and the Cato Letters, as well as others. But essentially the most important work would have to be one of those or one of Karl Marx’s offerings. Personally I’d nominate Democratic Republics/Capitalism over Socialism of the two since while certainly Marx had a large effect, his ideas were stupid and in the end lead to the deaths and murders of more people on the planet than any other disaster ever. I’m not sure I want to say thus that his writings are “significant” except (hopefully) as a historical sidenote. [/QUOTE] Significance isn’t an honorific. Hitler and Stalin were significant figures in history. Though, I think the obvious and indisputable choice would be, ‘The Bible’. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![chowder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/977dab/32.png) [@chowder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chowder)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2008, 6:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-most-signicant-political-text-ever-written/459444/32 "2008-08-11T06:57:36Z")
Magna Carta ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2008, 7:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-most-signicant-political-text-ever-written/459444/33 "2008-08-11T07:19:33Z")
Das Kapital ---
**Author:** ![Wallenstein](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/b5a626/32.png) [@Wallenstein](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wallenstein)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2008, 11:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-most-signicant-political-text-ever-written/459444/34 "2008-08-11T11:21:31Z")
[QUOTE=mswas] Plato’s Republic [/QUOTE] Seconded. ---
**Author:** ![Sage\_Rat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sage_rat/32/399_2.png) [@Sage\_Rat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sage_Rat)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2008, 3:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-most-signicant-political-text-ever-written/459444/35 "2008-08-11T15:12:38Z")
[QUOTE=mswas] Significance isn’t an honorific. Hitler and Stalin were significant figures in history. [/QUOTE] Sure, but if I could only preserve one for future generations of the planet, I’d rather pick one that worked! ---
**Author:** ![Westrogothia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/3ab097/32.png) [@Westrogothia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Westrogothia)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2008, 3:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-most-signicant-political-text-ever-written/459444/36 "2008-08-11T15:32:36Z")
How about The Spirit of Laws by Montesquieu. ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2008, 4:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-most-signicant-political-text-ever-written/459444/37 "2008-08-11T16:06:38Z")
I once read in one of William Durant’s histories of philosophy that [Voltaire](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Voltaire) is not much read, any more, because he was so successful in putting his ideas across – mainly the idea that the Church should not have any authoritative position in political, moral and social matters – that most of what he said, though revolutionary at the time, seems commonplace now. ---
**Author:** ![Freddy\_the\_Pig](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/a587f6/32.png) [@Freddy\_the\_Pig](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Freddy_the_Pig)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2008, 4:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-most-signicant-political-text-ever-written/459444/38 "2008-08-11T16:33:08Z")
The [Declaration of Rights of Man and of the Citizen](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Declaration_of_the_Rights_of_Man_and_of_the_Citizen), adopted by the French National Assembly in 1789. As members of the English-speaking world, we tend to over-estimate the importance of Anglo-American constitutional evolution in the history of free thought. The British (and even more so, the rebellious Americans) were outliers, and aroused little emulation, in the Eighteenth Century. It was the _French_ Revolution that brought freedom into the mainstream of European thought (and, via European military domination, into the mainstream of world thought). ---
**Author:** ![Kozmik](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/8dc957/32.png) [@Kozmik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kozmik)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2008, 5:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-most-signicant-political-text-ever-written/459444/39 "2008-08-11T17:06:10Z")
The Declaration of Independence. ---
**Author:** ![Lakai](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/9de0a6/32.png) [@Lakai](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lakai)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2008, 12:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-most-signicant-political-text-ever-written/459444/40 "2008-08-12T00:24:48Z")
[QUOTE=Sage Rat] Sure, but if I could only preserve one for future generations of the planet, I’d rather pick one that worked! [/QUOTE] If we are going to talk about something that works, then the Declaration of Independence is highly significant. It is the first time people got away with saying that a government could be overthrown if the people didn’t approve of it. That’s not to say it wasn’t highly influenced by Locke and others. Then again, you can see traces of Plato’s Republic almost everywhere. In the end I’d have to go with the philosophy responsible for overthrowing a great deal of the feudal governments. ---
**Author:** ![mswas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e99b99/32.png) [@mswas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mswas)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2008, 1:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-most-signicant-political-text-ever-written/459444/41 "2008-08-12T01:09:26Z")
[QUOTE=BrainGlutton] I once read in one of William Durant’s histories of philosophy that [Voltaire](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Voltaire) is not much read, any more, because he was so successful in putting his ideas across – mainly the idea that the Church should not have any authoritative position in political, moral and social matters – that most of what he said, though revolutionary at the time, seems commonplace now. [/QUOTE] Do you think that actually happened or do you think that Voltaire would only saturate in the best of all possible worlds? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-most-signicant-political-text-ever-written/459444.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-most-signicant-political-text-ever-written/459444.md?page=3)