In elaborating the difference between the ancient and modern understanding of the political community, this book summarizes the political thought of the two main ancient political thinkers, Plato and Aristotle, and then four classic theorists of the social contract: Hobbes, Locke, Rousseau, and Kant. The first part of the book makes some general remarks about the state as the main object of study of political philosophy. The second looks at the philosophical understandings of the Ancient Greek polis. Part three takes up the problem of justification of political rule in Early Modern contract theory.