Political Science 100

1
Political Science 100

• Chapter 4
• Political Theory
• Examining the Ethical Foundations of Politics

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Political Theory

• PT is a subfield in Political Science focusing on
  the normative and ethical questions of politics.
• PT involves both the study of texts and the act
  of critically thinking about what those text
  teach us.
• PT is a history of the search for enlightenment
  on the normative questions of politics.

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Political Theory

• Plato (427-347 B.C.)
• Founded the Academy
• Wrote The Republic
• Which included the Allegory of the Cave
• Highest purpose of the state the promotion of
  Justice
• Best form of the state is one that pursues
  justice
• Justice is following nature
• Doing what is natural, honest, and correct for
  yourself. It is following your natural calling
  your natural purpose.

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Political Theory

• Three Natural groups
• Manual labor workers
• Auxiliaries military leaders
• Guardians public service and policymaking
• Injustice
• Acting contrary to nature
• Rejects ambition
• Reject upward and downward mobility
• Plato is viewed today
• Hierarchical and authoritarian
• Critic of democracy, would be anti-American

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Plato continued

• Allegory of the cave
• Illustrates the process of achieving
  understanding and enlightenment
• As useful today as thousands of years ago
• Shows that critical thinking is difficult and
  sometimes unsettling and often produces
  conclusions that are at odds with the status quo
  of our caves
• New ideas may get you killed

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The purpose of the State

• Thomas Hobbes (1588-1679)
• 17th century English political theorist
• Wrote Leviathan
• Before we consider the purpose of the state we
  must first ask ourselves, what is human nature?
  According to Hobbes human nature is
• A story of passions, desires, fears, aggressive
  impulses, and instinctive urges to acquire power.
• Violence impulsive behavior cause social
  conflict.
• Humans are naturally equal to each other because
  the weakest can kill the strongest.

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Should States promote Equality?

• Aristotle Equal consideration of interest
• Six forms of government
• Monarchy rule by one in the interest of all
• Aristocracy rule by the few in the interest of
  all
• Polity rule of the many in the interest of all
• Tyranny rule by one in the interest of the
  ruler
• Oligarchy rule by the few in the interest of
  the rulers
• Democracy rule of the many in the interest of
  the rulers

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Should States promote Equality?

• Thomas Jefferson (1743-18260)
• Advocated Equality of Natural Rights
• Primary author of the Declaration of
  Independence, governor of Virginia, secretary of
  state and third president of the United States.
• The Declarations political theory states
• Individuals are created naturally equal
• Individuals possess natural rights
• It is the proper role of government to protect
  and respect these natural rights and
• If government violates these rights, individuals
  may overturn the government.

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Should States promote Equality?

• Thomas Jefferson today would be considered
  anti-Aristotle

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Should States promote Equality?

• Tecumseh (1768-1813)
• Advocated Equality of Natural Rights emphasizing
  property rights
• Shawnee theorist, founded Prophets Town
• Believed native lands should be recovered
• Each Native American had an equal and natural
  right to the land
• Equality is an attribute of the people
• Would be considered anti-Aristotle

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Should States promote Equality?

• Chico Mendes (1944-1988)
• Advocated Equality of Participation
• Brazilian rubber-tapper
• Opposed cattle ranchers, developers, and
  international environmentalist
• Fought for a balance that would ensure the
  survival of his way of life
• Equality is a desirable goal for individuals and
  governments
• Would be considered anti-Aristotle

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Should States promote Equality?

• Friedrich Nietzsche (1844-1900)
• Argued Equality is part of slave morality
• Slave morality desires to humble the strong and
  legitimize equality
• Resentment, sinful actions, and suffering are key
  concepts
• Analogy to a bucket of crabs
• His writings were used to argue elitism and world
  domination (Hitlers master race theories)

13
Should States promote Equality?

• Friedrich Nietzsche continued
• Master morality serves the interest of those who
  need to legitimize strength, conquering, ruling,
  and dominating.

14
Should States promote Equality?

• Kurt Vonnegut
• Wrote Harrison Bergeron about future society in
  the year 2081.
• Laws make everyone completely equal
• Inequality is swiftly cured with mental and
  physical equalizing gear
• A Handicapper-General enforces equality
• Society is characterized by mediocrity,
  conformity, and drabness
• For Vonnegut Equality is not a neutral concept
  it harms some and favors others.

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Should States maximize their Power?

• Niccolo Machiavelli (1469-1527)
• Wrote the Prince, a classic political text.
• Advocated a win-at-all-cost approach to governing
• State power must be protected against any rivals
  within society.
• Fear is the optimum basis for ruling.
• Love is fickle, it is subject to change anytime,
  and its impossible to make people love you.
• States must build reserves of power for use at
  any time needed.

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Should States limit their Power?

• James Madison (1751-1836)
• Wrote the Federalist Papers.
• Argued states should restrict their power by
  means of a Separation of Powers.
• Advocated Checks and Balances in government to
  prevent one branch from dominating
• Argue for government and protections from power
  of government.

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Should states try to make us ethical?

• John Stuart Mill (1806-1873)
• Believed individuals should be free to express
  themselves on moral issues.
• Argued that the state should interfere only if
  individuals threaten others.
• Believed that society benefits from different
  viewpoints.
• Recognized that progress is society is often made
  by unconventional people.

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Should states try to make us ethical?

• John Stuart Mill continued
• Believed individuals should be free to express
  themselves on moral issues.
• States should avoid the role of moral guardian
• He challenged student to think about who should
  decide what is ethicalthe individual or the
  state?

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Should states try to make us ethical?

• Fundamentalism
• Upholds what is it defines as religious truth
  basic (fundamental) propositions that are
  validated by the religion.
• Often described as ultra-orthodox strict,
  literal, and pure.
• Fundamentalists tend to assert
• Religious truth is authoritative
• Religious truth is compelling and not to be
  disregarded or reduced to being a mere option
  and
• If fundamentalism is to guide government policy,
  laws must codify the authoritative truths of the
  religion, not assume a posture of neutrality or
  silence on the issues of politics.

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Should states try to make us ethical?

• Fundamentalism
• Includes both Christian and Islamic
• Muslim Fundamentalism
• Taliban (students of Islam) movement in
  Afghanistan
• The ideology opposes the equality of women with
  men.
• They reject tribal and clan authority in favor of
  religious authority.
• Laws in society codify the religious beliefs.

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Should states try to make us ethical?

• Fundamentalism continued
• Christian Fundamentalism
• Patrick Buchanan and the 2000 Reform Party
• Truly legitimate ethical positions are based on
  religion and should be expressed and enforced
  through a states laws.
• Society is in a moral crisis and the teaching of
  the Christian Bible is the only way out.
• Buchanan rejects the idea of tolerating all
  viewpoints government should not be nuetral by
  uphold moral positions on policy issues.
• Laws should reflect Fundamentalist values on all
  social, political, and economic matters.