Political Theory

Plato - Ruling as a skill Against Democracy Captain is a metaphor for ruler of the state. The crew is a metaphor for the general population. We all think we could handle leadership but we probably couldn't. The democratic man is too complacent to take responsibility in politics. And if he did get it, he would be to devoid of knowledge to know what to do with it. Fredrick the Great - The Enlightened Despot Against Democracy -Monarchy doesn't have to be bad. -Despot - A ruler or person who holds absolute power. Prince and people are linked together. Reasons monarchy is good. Maintenance of laws Strict execution Employ all powers to prevent corruption Defending State against Watches over morals. JJ Rousseau - The General Will Democratic Ideals The general will is what people want without persuasion. It can work in a very small political system or state. General Will always tends to be in the public interest. The general will can seem bad because people can be deceived but not corrupted. Will of all- takes private interests into account instead of the common interest. Aristotle - Rule of the People and Rule of Law Dangers in Democracy Demagogue - Person that speaks well and persuades. Decree- Statement to the masses by one person, it is not a law. In democracy demagogue flatter the Demo (people). They pleasure them, not prove what is good for them.

According to Aristotle, laws should be sovereign in democracy "When laws are not sovereign demagogues arise." Demagogues + Decrees = tyranny of the majority. The answer to this problem is education. James Madison - The Danger of Faction Dangers in Democracy Factions are bad. The only way to get rid of them is worse than factions existing. -Destroying Liberty -Giving everyone the same opinions, passion and interests. Prevent large potential factions from forming by having a large republic so factions could not spread over large distances. It is easier to execute oppression in a small state. Alexis De Tocqueville - Tyranny of the Majority Dangers in Democracy Side with the most votes win, Power is often used poorly. America's democracy is not much different from monarchies of the past. Limited powers are not limited enough and not enough "Inadequate securities against tyranny" Unlimited power in itself is a bad and dangerous thing, Humans are not competent enough to exercise it with discretion. John Locke - Legislative, Executive, and Federative Powers The Separation of Powers Legislative - makes laws Executive - Enforce the laws. Deals with domestic affairs. Federative - part of executive that deals with foreign affairs The people have the ability to abolish the legislature if they believe its not doing a good job. The people are able to do this because they have ultimate authority and popular sovereignty. Barron De Montesquieu - The Ideal Constitution Separation of Powers There is no liberty if the judiciary is not separated from the executive and legislative powers. People should have no share in government other than choosing representatives. The judiciary in some measure is next to nothing.

Benjamin Constant - The Liberty of the Ancients and the Liberty of the Moderns What is Liberty? Liberty of the Ancients - Sacrificed individual independence for political rights. Took greater role in their democracy. The individual sacrificed all liberty to the authority of the state. The danger of ancient liberty was that men exclusively concerned with securing their share of social power might attach too little value to rights and enjoyments. Liberty of the Moderns - The danger of modern liberty is that absorbed in the enjoyment of our private independence and in the pursuit of our particular interests, we should surrender our right to share in political power too easily. Holders of authority are all too anxious to encourage us to do so. We can no longer enjoy the liberty of the ancients. We should assume the responsibility of being happy for ourselves. John Stuart Mill - One Simple Principle (Law and Morality) "the only purpose for which power can be rightfully exercised over any member of a civilized community, against his will, is to prevent harm to others. His own good, either physical or moral is not a sufficient warrant." 3 Principles of liberties -Opinion - Science, morals and religion -Pursuit of life goals in our own way -To unite for a cause *AS LONG AS NO HARM COMES TO ANOTHER No society is free in which these principles are respected and exist absolute is free. Patrick Devlin - The Enforcement of Morals Liberty and Rights Laws are based on our morality. We can't determine where we get our morality. Morality is based around the sanctity of human life. Without shared ideas on politics, morals and ethics, no society can exist. Immorality can never be done, whether laws forbids it or not. Society is not something held together physically but by invisible bonds of common thought. I think there can be no theoretical limits to legislation against immorality. (Drunk man example) H.L.A. Hart - The Changing Sense of Morality Liberty and Rights Devlin was wrong.

Something like private sexual affairs doesn't effect the existence of society like the way treason does. A change in morality is not like a violent overthrow of government, but like a peaceful constitutional change. Consistent not only with the preservation of society, but with its advance. Thomas Scanlon - Free Expression and the Authority of the State (Liberty and Rights) It should not be the person expressing the idea that should be punished, but the person committing the offense. (ex.. I tell you to rob a bank) "The harm of coming to have false beliefs is not one that an autonomous man could allow the state to protect him against through restrictions on expression" The autonomous man will follow laws because there are greater reasons independent of the consequences. Pericles - The Democratic Citizen - Pericles Funeral Oration Virtue and Citizenship Pericles does not speak of those that died for the country, but how great the country is that they died for. We give our obedience to positions in authority and we obey the laws, especially the unwritten laws, which are ashamed to break. Our city is an education to Greece. Athens and its citizens are a model to the rest of the country. Wealth isn't to boast about and poverty is something to be prevented. Aristotle - The Requirements of Citizenship Liberty and Rights It is possible to be a good citizen but to not posess the goodness of a good man. Niccolo Machiavelli - The Servility of the Moderns Liberty and Rights Old religion made us ferocious and new religion makes us weak. There are fewer republics than there used to be because people do not love liberty as they once did. Alexis De Tocqueville - The Nature of Modern Servitude Liberty and Rights American Contemporaries want to be led but want to be free. Jeremy Bentham - Nonsense on Stilts Rights Natural rights is simple nonsense.

Rights come from law, which come from civil society. Do away with the philosophical view of rights Rights are created by the general Utility.