This is a very broad topic, and I can not single out any five so I decided to list those that influence my political insights most. Later I'll list those in other areas of studies such as science and physics, but right now I want to list the philosophy of those who I find most enlightening in the realm of politics. They have had a tremendous influence in shaping my views and understandings of such complex issues.

No particular order:

Niccolo Machiavelli - the humanist

Thomas Hobbes - the realist

John Locke - the democrat

John Stuart Mill - the libertarian

Thomas Paine - The columnist

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