Power and Its Possessors

1
Power and Its Possessors
2
Can Social Order be Maintained without Power?

• Human Nature is a source of order John Locke
  Human Reasonableness Natural Law - anarchy
• A Natural Harmony of Interest Classical
  Liberalism Economic Order U.S. Constitution
• Custom, Habit, Tradition Edmund Burke
• Without Spontaneous Order totalitarianism is
  inevitable
• Machiavelli Order is achieved by the sagacity
  of rulers

3
Who Should Rule?

• Anyone Hobbes
• No one Anarchists
• Can some achieve virtues not achievable by the
  majority? Plato (the few) and Rousseau (the many)
• A mixture of democracy and aristocracy
  Aristotle
• Plato Philosophers
• Marx the proletariat
• Lenin the communist party

4
If the People Rule, Should They Do So Themselves
or through Representatives?

• The representative system makes it possible,
  while allowing the people to have the final word,
  to empower those who stand out for their
  intelligence, experience, and interest in
  politics.
• Representatives can devote all of their time to
  government, whereas the people as a whole cannot.
• A representative body provides better
  opportunities for leisured, unemotional
  deliberation than does a great popular assembly
• Direct democracy is workable only in polities
  that are very small in population

5
Is It Good to Have Power?

• Politics in a good state allows us to realize our
  fullest human potential Aristotle
• Avoid politics, live unknown Epicurus
• A necessary duty - Stoics

6
Why Obey?

• To possess power seems at least to be honorable
  and glorious
• To be under power seem appear to be degrading
• Why accept a position of subservience?
• Divine right of kings
• Consent - Locke
• The General Will Rousseau
• The question of revolution