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According to Ruokanen, Politica (1614) by Althusius (1557/63-1638) was widely read but also a controversial work at its time.  

"The principles defended in Politica, such as popular sovereignty, local autonomy, and general lawfulness and justice, were at odds with unrestricted powersof the ruler and the general strengthening of state. Consequently, Althusius’ ideas were not to everyone’s liking at the time."

Ruokanen mentions that he is somewhat surprised that such ideas do not seem to resonate with everyone even today, even in the West, referring to recent events in the United States. 

The foundation of our society goes back to biblical principles

In Ruokanen's dissertation, Politica is approached from a social-ontological perspective. The focus is on identifying and analysing factors affecting the existence of social life in general, communities in particular, and the society as a whole.

The study shows that in Politica, social phenomena do not arise purely due to natural causes or human actions, as is often thought today. Various roles are also assigned to God – for example, as creator, legislator, redeemer, and judge – which direct and limit what people can do in turn. For example, people naturally strive to live together with others, because God has created them that way. God has also set rules, such as the Ten Commandments, as a measure of justice for people. Yet, it is still up to people themselves to establish and maintain communities and to set just laws for them.

"For today's secular scientific worldview, the idea of an active God is foreign," Ruokanen assesses. However, he notes that not everything Althusius proposes is that uncommon even today.

“It just that nowadays for many people these rules are more likely to be crystallized in the UN Declaration of Human Rights than in the Bible."

"We still make assumptions about what kind of beings we humans naturally are and how it affects our ability to live together. We often also think that common life requires shared moral rules, which laws  should abide to. It just that nowadays for many people these rules are more likely to be crystallized in the UN Declaration of Human Rights than in the Bible," Ruokanen says. 

"In the broader picture, it is of course essential to ask what today’s political theories posit as given, as something unchangeable but still significantly affecting what we humans can do in relation to our common life, and to examine such assumptions critically", Ruokanen notes.

The public examination of M.Sc. Jukka Ruokanen's doctoral dissertation in philosophy "The Political Theory of Johannes Althusius from a Social-Ontological Perspective – A Philosophical Analysis of the Existence of Social Life, Communities, and the Commonwealth" will be held on May 2, 2025 at 12 in the old festival hall (S212) of the Ä¢¹½Ö±²¥. The opponent is Assistant Professor Jenny Pelletier (KU Leuven, Belgium) and the custos Dr. Juhana Toivanen (Ä¢¹½Ö±²¥). The public examination of the dissertation is held in English.

The public examination can be followed live at: 

The dissertation is accessible in JYX: 

The research has been funded by the Kone Foundation, Ellen and Artturi Nyyssönen Foundation, and the Department of Social Sciences and Philosophy at the Ä¢¹½Ö±²¥.

Contact information: jukka.i.ruokanen@jyu.fi