探討西方規範性論述之所以重要，是要處理人與自然；人與人；以及人與自我之間的關係，幫助我們適應環境。做為萬物之靈，人們懂得形塑社會組織，經營社會生活，保障生存和提高生活品質。探討西方政治思想能夠讓我們瞭解問題，解決問題，形塑可欲價值。

在不同歷史階段，人們問題意識並不一樣，設想的解決手段也有所差異。例如，古希臘將奴隸制度視為理所當然，中世紀歐洲重視領主和附庸間的權利義務關係，當代西方國家得顧及雇主及受薪階級的不同需求。因此，研究政治思想不能脫離相對應的時空環境。

The reason why it is important to explore Western normative discourse is to deal with the relationship between people and nature; people and people; and people and themselves, and help us adapt to the environment. As the soul of all things, people know how to shape social organizations, manage social life, ensure survival and improve the quality of life. Exploring Western political thought can enable us to understand problems, solve problems, and shape desirable values.

At different historical stages, people have different awareness of problems and different solutions. For example, ancient Greece took slavery for granted, medieval Europe valued the rights and obligations between lords and vassals, and contemporary Western countries have to take into account the different needs of employers and salaried classes. Therefore, the study of political thought cannot be separated from the corresponding time and space environment.

胡祖慶，西洋政治思想史，台北：雙葉，2012

Hu Zuqing, History of Western Political Thought, Taipei: Shuangye, 2012