Title: Political Theory
1Political Theory
2Defining Politics and Political Science
- At its most basic level, politics is the struggle
of "who gets what, when, how." - Political scientists study such struggles, both
small and large, in an effort to develop general
principles or theories about the way the world of
politics works.
3Political Theory
- Political Theory analyzes fundamental political
concepts such as power and democracy and
fundamental questions such as, "How should the
individual and the state relate? - Differing political theories have developed as a
result of conflicting answers to this question
4Most political scientists agree that these
criteria should include the following rights and
freedoms for citizens
- Freedom to form and join organizations
- Freedom of expression
- Right to vote
- Eligibility for public office
- Right of political leaders to compete for support
- Right of political leaders to compete for votes
- Alternative sources of information
- Free and fair elections
- Institutions for making government policies
depend on votes and other expressions of
preference
5Political Efficacy
- Political efficacy The extent to which people
feel they have an impact or exert some influence
on public affairs. - Internal efficacy beliefs about ones own
competence to understand and participate in
politics - External efficacy beliefs about the
responsiveness of governmental authorities and
institutions to citizen demands
6Important Political Philosophers
- Plato
- Aristotle
- Machiavelli
- Hobbes
- Hume
- Locke
- Montesquieu
- Rousseau
- DeTocqueville
- Mill
- Marx
- Weber
- Mills
7Plato
- Ancient Greek philosopher
- Platos The Republic is one of the single most
influential works in Western philosophy. - It is an analogy of harmony in the State AND
harmony in the individual - Essentially, it deals with the central problem of
how to live a good life this inquiry is shaped
into the these questions - what is justice in the State?
- what would an ideal State be like?
- what is a just individual?
8Platos Ideal State was an Aristocracy the rule
of the best
- However, he believed that aristocracies would
eventually fall to a timocracy (ruled by the
military) - Military rule will eventually fall because
society will drive them out. - The next step was the "oligarchy"
- The rule of the few or of the wealthy
- According to Plato, people will also tire of
oligarchies and toss them out. - The resulting government will then be a democracy
(rule of the people). - But this will eventually fall to a tyranny
(tyrannis, "tyranny," from tyrannos, "tyrant").
9Aristotle
- Aristotle (b. 384 - d. 322 BC), was a Greek
philosopher, logician, and scientist. - Along with his teacher Plato, Aristotle is
generally regarded as one of the most influential
ancient thinkers in a number of philosophical
fields, including political theory. - Aristotle saw politics as a science, and just as
a physician would study the body, Aristotle
sought to study the state. - Once the nature of the state can be understood,
the politician can begin to frame the
constitution of the state in its laws, customs
and institutions, and then to protect it through
education and legislation.
10Machiavelli1469- 1527
- Webster's New World Dictionary defines the
adjective Machiavellian as - Of Machiavelli.
- Of, like, or characterized by his political
principles and proposed methods of craftiness and
duplicity crafty, deceitful, etc." the
adjective is generally applied pejoratively
11The Prince
- Machiavelli's The Prince was written to serve as
a guide to creating and holding on to a
principality - In ways that often benefited the people but
sometimes only the prince himself - The Prince was dedicated to Lorenzo de' Medici
- "il Maginifico"
- It is considered a political primer for
princes- anywhereanytimeany place.
12Important Ideas from The Prince
- The end justifies the means
- It is better to Be feared than loved.
- Rivers and men can be controlled, but cannot be
trusted. - Before all else, be armed.
- Hatred is gained as much by good works as by
evil. - He who wishes to be obeyed must know how to
command. - Men are so simple and so much inclined to obey
immediate needs that a deceiver will never lack
victims for his deceptions.
13Montesquieu, 1689-1755 (Baron de Montesquieu,
Charles-Louis de Secondat)
- Montesquieu was one of the great political
philosophers of the Enlightenment (French) - Montesquieu's most radical work divided French
society into three classes the monarchy, the
aristocracy, and the commons. - This was radical because it completely eliminated
the Three Estates structure of the French
Monarchy the clergy, the aristocracy, and the
people at large represented by the
Estates-General, thereby erasing the last vestige
of a feudalistic structure.
14Montesquieus Theory of The Separation of Powers
- Montesquieu was curious about how governments
might be preserved from corruption. - He saw despotism as a danger and argued that it
could best be prevented by a system in which
different branches had legislative, executive,
and judicial power, and in which all those bodies
were bound by the rule of law. - This theory of the separation of powers had an
enormous impact on liberal political theory, and
on the framers of the constitution of the United
States of America
15Jean-Jacques Rousseau1712-1778
- Rousseau believed that in the state of nature,
man is prone to be in frequent competition with
his fellow men. - Rousseau claimed that the state of nature is
violent and without law or morality, and that
there are good men only a result of society's
presence. - Only by joining together through the Social
Contract and abandoning their claims of natural
right, individuals can both preserve themselves
and remain free. - Only then can we form the collective human
presence known as "society." - Rule by all - a complete democracy
Never exceed your rights, and they will soon
become unlimited.
16Direct Democracies are Best
- Rousseau was bitterly opposed to the idea that
the people should exercise sovereignty via a
representative assembly. - Rather, he believed that citizens should make the
laws directly. - He also argued that the goal of government should
be to secure freedom, equality, and justice for
all within the state, regardless of the will of
the majority
17Thomas Hobbes (1588-1679)
- British political philosopher
- Hobbes believed that society was obligated to an
authority figure (King) - Man is weak and self-centeredmust be looked
after by a powerful leader - Man is wicked at heartgovernment must be used to
control him - Hobbes Social Contract
- We should give our obedience to an unaccountable
sovereign in exchange for being allowed to be
part of society and the safety a sovereign brings
to our lives.
18Leviathan
- The frontispiece to the first edition of
Leviathan, which Hobbes helped design, portrays
the commonwealth as a gigantic human form built
out of the bodies of its citizens, the sovereign
as its head. - Hobbes calls this figure the "Leviathan," a word
derived from the Hebrew for "sea monster" and the
name of a monstrous sea creature appearing in the
Bible the image constitutes the definitive
metaphor for Hobbes's perfect government. - His text attempts to prove the necessity of the
Leviathan for preserving peace and preventing
civil war.
19John Locke
1632, d. 1704
- British political philosopher
- Locke wrote and developed the philosophy that
there was no legitimate government under the
divine right of kings theory. - His ideas were greatly admired by the Founding
Fathers
20Natural Rights
- Locke thought that the purpose of government was
to protect the natural rights of its citizens. - He said that natural rights were life, liberty
and property, and that all people automatically
earned these simply by being born. - Lockes Contract
- When a government did not protect those rights,
the citizens had the right and maybe even the
obligation of overthrowing the government.
21Coincidence, I think not!
(Do you know of an another island with a Locke, a
Rousseau, and a Hume?)
Terry OQuinn as John Locke on Lost
22David Hume 1711-1776
- One of the greatest philosophers in Western
history, as well as an accomplished historian,
economist, perennial skeptic and delightful
fellow. - David Hume was one of the most prominent figures
of the Scottish Enlightenment and a close friend
of Adam Smith. - Hume was NOT a believer of the "natural law" or
"social contract" theories popular with other
philosophers.
23David Hume 1711-1776
- Many regard David Hume as a political
conservative, sometimes calling him the first
conservative philosopher - He was a thorough empiricist (belief that
knowledge comes from experience) in both his
political and philosophical work. - His central concern was the importance of the
rule of law, and moderation in politics - Believed that human nature was evil without
society making us peaceful and sociable - The result would be a happy citizenry
- He promoted the idea of a unions and republics.
24Hobbes Hume Locke
Rousseau
Where on the Classic Spectrum? Left--------------
-------Center-----------------------Right
Number of Rulers? All..Many..Fe
wOne
Level of Power/Ruler? Hyperpluralism...Pluralis
m.. Elite/class. Absolute
25Where on the Classic Spectrum? Rousseau
Hume Locke Hobbes Left--------------
-------Center----------------------Right
Number of Rulers? Rousseau Hume
Locke Hobbes All..Many..Few
One
Level of Power/Ruler? Rousseau Hume
Locke Hobbes Hyperpluralism.Pluralism..
Elite/class. Absolute ruler
26Alexis de Tocqueville (1805-1859)
- French Historian and Political Philosopher
- Born in Paris into aristocracy.
- Tocqueville deepest commitment was to human
freedom - Spent two years (1831-1832) roaming about the
newly formed United States and wrote about our
form of democracy. - He analyzed the American attempt to have both
liberty and equality in terms of what lessons
Europe could learn from American successes and
failures - He believed that political democracy and social
equality would, inevitably, replace the
aristocratic institutions of Europe.
27- Alexis De Tocquevilles
- American Visit
28De Tocquevilles Theory
- Democracy Worked Well in America Because
- Lots of land!! (Fertile land)
- No feudal aristocracy here
- Small, independent farmers make up a great deal
of the population (No great number of landless
peasants like in Europe.) - American culture and ideals- He called them,
Moral and intellectual characteristics
29John Stuart Mill
- American political philosopher- On Liberty
- We should have freedom of thought and discussion
(listen to other viewpoints) - His ideas were uplifting and noble
- The purpose of morality is to make the world a
better place. - Morality is about producing good consequences,
not having good intentions - We should do whatever will bring the most benefit
(i.e., intrinsic value) to all of humanity. - He believed that one of our responsibilities as
humans was to maximize utility, not to do the
minimum - In other words, set aside our personal interests
for humanity.
30How is Political Power Distributed in a
Democracy??
- Majoritarian theory
- Leaders follow the wishes of the people closely
- Does anyone believe this???
- Applies when issues are clear
- When is THIS???
- Elitism theories
- Marx
- Mills
- Weber
- Pluralism
31Karl Marx1818-1883
- German Author
- Wrote The Communist Manifesto with partner,
Frederick Engels - Believed government is controlled by one dominant
social class - Theory that power is a reflection of underlying
economic forces
32Max Weber1864-1920
- German political theorist
- The political process is controlled by political
elites in the bureaucracy - Expert knowledge and competence will (and should)
dominate - Weber theorized about why some people work hard
and some dont in his essay The Protestant Ethic
and the Spirit of Capitalism - Work, save money, and you will be successful
- Similar to Puritan work ethic
33C. Wright Mills1916-1962
- The Power Elite Theory
- The power elite control politics
- They include
- Military leaders
- Key corporate leaders
- Political leaders in and out of office
34The Pluralist Theory of Power
- The pluralist theory of power is that no one
elite person or group dominates politics - No monopoly of power
- The different players must bargain and compromise
and be responsive to followers - (i.e. voters)
35(No Transcript)
36Step out of the cave and be a philosopher!Seek
meaning and knowledge!
Are you a prisoner or a philosopher??
37Know these political theorists and these
theories for the test