Political Theory Final Exam

Complicity = participation in another person’s wrongdoing

• Ex. people financially backing slavery are just as dangerous as pro-slave advocates

1. Tacitly approve just laws by obeying

2. Paying taxes

3. Government democratically authorized to act as our public servants

4. We buy products made by unjust conditions

**This makes man agents of injustice

• Voting in an election is not civil disobedience

• It highlight what you wish to happen, but does nothing to promote cause

• If you vote and do not think of the matter again, you are essentially complicit in the cause

Patriotism is a love for one’s country, and a readiness to kill and die for your country

if countries are falsely heroized for their efforts, then patriotism is the willingness to live/die for a figment of imagination

Patriotism is, from its nature, a commitment to the system of premature, violent death, inflicted and
accepted

A country is not a specific group, but the voluntary association of people from many groups

A country is constructed out of memories that are true and false. Countries will tend to better themselves and cleanse their bad histories

Principle - a principle is universal, something that all people believe and pledge themselves to follow; articulating values and ideals

• A moral principle governs one’s conduct towards others and they expectations they have for others conduct

Abstraction - generalization of essential characteristics while omitting details. Shaping complex issues into essential frameworks that can be studied more easily.

• simplifying complex realities

Patriotism inherently disregards morality

• Patriotism idolized the country, and internalized a “self-love” that eventually surpasses a concern for the nature of things

• More concern about self-improvement and preservation not other people

• Patriotism is group narcissism without any self-restraint

Lincoln: free states fought in Civil War for the preservation of the union, which also ended slavery

• Justice because of self-preservation

Kateb: While patriotism can be mobilized for a good cause, it can just as easily be mobilized for an unjust one

• EX. WWII and the Holocaust

The most effective and indirect kind of self-worship is to identify with a group

• Not so egotistical; more palatable to worship one’s self

authoritarian state claiming to rule in the interest of the people; Mills in direct opposition of this

Plato defense of benevolent despotism

• democracy is rule of the ignorant

• tyranny of the majority

• democracy empowers demagogues

Every citizen not only having a voice, but being called on occasionally to take part in government

1. Protective argument - democracy enables us to defend our rights

2. Educative argument - democracy shaped character of citizens by instilling 3 virtues

   1. Active (actively participate)

   2. Intellectual (knowledgable about gov.)

   3. Moral; public-spiritedness

1. Democracy as a membership organization

2. Democracy as a mode of governance

   1. Electoral

   2. Deliberative

3. Democracy as a culture among equals

   1. Allows people to gather and discuss their views about important topics

Instrumental: based on results or consequences of democracy. a means or a tool

Non-instrumental/intrinsic: based on message it expresses, such offering mutual benefit/friendship. focus on the relationship it creates

1. Mutual respect (intrinsic)

   1. Having one leader leads many to undervalue themselves and others

   2. Shows that one person is “better”

2. avoiding abuse (instrumental)

3. Autonomy (intrinsic)

   1. Citizens can get together ad discuss the collective conditions and goals of democratic life

4. Collective learning (instrumental)

   1. Epistomatic democracy - citizens from all walks of life can get together and learn how to solve problems

run of experts as a replacement for democracy

1. Hobbits

   1. mostly apathetic an ignorant about politics; lack opinion on many issues

   2. Most non-voters

2. Hooligans

   1. Can explain their own views but not others

   2. Use politics as part of their identity (hostile)

   3. Tend to despise people that don’t agree with them

   4. Described most citizens according to Brennan

3. Vulcans

   1. think scientifically and rationally

   2. interested in politics, but dispassionate

   3. avoid bias

NOTE: none of this has do do with political views (ex. liberal, conservative, etc.); you can be a hooligan but politically moderate

rights to vote, run for office

primarily rights to acquire power/leadership over others; Brennan embraces civil/economic liberties but skeptical of political liberties

civil - rights to free speech, association, religion

economic - rights to contract, own property

to interfere with a person’s liberty for that person’s benefit

• Epistemic

  • Democracy makes more rational decisions through deliberation and voting

• Aretaic

  • democracy promotes active, moral, and intellectual virtues

• Intrinsic

  • democracy valuable because of the respect it expresses, and relationship of equality it creates

little self-interested incentive to be politically knowledgable because one’s vote makes little difference

1. restricted suffrage (testing people before voting) OR plural voting (more votes for educated voters)

2. Universal suffrage with an allowance for veto from epistocrats (experts can veto)

The theory that the voting public elect candidates who represent the collective desires and wishes of the majority

Citizens select public officials based on their performance in office and while the citizens’ own lives have gone better or worse under their rule

Problem: citizens often only look at the past year or few months to determine if leader is “doing well”, not the entire term

citizens choose public officials who match the citizens’ public policy preferences.

Problem: citizens lack detailed policy preferences

• referenda empower wealthy special interests

• term limits deprive legislature of experienced representatives

• less innovative work gets done

1. educative benefit (incentive to be educated in government)

2. provide political stability and empirically legitimate way to select government

3. limit abuse by allowing protest and legitimate opposition

all organizations eventually become oligarchic, even if states starting out committed to democracy

critique of marxism - focuses on the workers and not the elites; education is essential to resisting oligarchy

why?

1. need for leadership

2. need for bureaucracy

• Education essential to resisting oligarchy

• Wider education increases the capacity to resist power

• Less subject to the control of the leader; can use reason and autonomy to determine right/wrong

• Less passive majority

1. the ideological tendency of democracy toward criticism and control

2. Counter tendency of democracy toward the creation of parties - based on competence of the few

“wrong kind of participation” - following politics like a sport

Objections to hobbyism

1. ignored local politics

2. emphasizes outrage

3. focus on national news

4. exacerbates partisanship

accepting beliefs that agree with our preexisting beliefs/identity and rejecting those that do not

political disagreement is a matter of a lack of information

• once voters have more information they’ll agree; ignores identity protective cognition

political organizing, winning votes, gaining actual power (contrast with Thoreau, who was skeptical of the value of voting and political organizing)

1. people/politicians behavior

2. loss of empathy

3. ineffectiveness

Primaries

• voters in primaries are more extreme than
  the median American voter, or even the median Democrat or Republican

Small-Donors

• also tend to be extreme in partisanship

• Political hobbyism promotes lack of empathy and compromise

• How?

  • Blocks listening, deep canvassing, and building bridges

  • Pressures politicians into making symbolic moves instead of strategizing

  • Politicians become more dramatic

• Governing requires coalitions

1. turn stone into bread

2. throw himself from the pinnacle of the temple

3. to acquire power over the kingdoms of the world

1. Need for material goods

   1. Material good are more important; everyone can be assured to have food, but not everyone is guaranteed freedom

   2. Parallel to utilitarianism

   3. People with freedom will fight over material goods

   4. People would starve and no progress would be made

• Humanity needs purpose in their lives

• Freedom of conscience - conscience is a burden of doubt and uncertainty

• As long as man is free, he will be searching for someone to worship ; crave community

• We identify with our personal and religious opinions personally, taking great offense when someone disagrees - which is another source of conflict

• Men will try to rule each other

• Having one leader will eliminate the need for war and fighting for leadership

1. political tyranny

2. Social tyranny

1. rights

2. Constitutional checks and balances

• need to dominate and feel stronger/better than others

• terror of uncertainty and doubt

standard for when liberty can be limited

what freedoms does harm principle protect?

1. freedom of thought, expressions, and conscience

2. Liberty of tastes and pursuits

   1. Ability to do what you want and live your life how you want

3. Freedom of association

   1. freedom to combine with others and be politically social

• protections from losing liberties

• freedom FROM interference

• swift criticizes Berlin’s distinction because negative liberty also requires funding and state action

• other people take action to provide choices and programs

• freedom TO do things (ex. health, being educated)

formal = guaranteed/written

effective = freedom in actuality; resources to exercise freedom

• democracy makes us freely self-governing

  • relationship among citizens

• protects private freedom

  • protected from oppression

• freedom of self-realization

• all freedoms are positive AND negative

• X - agent; Y - obstacles; Z - action/state of affairs

X, is free from Y, to do or become Z

autonomy - two components

1. freedom from interference to act on reasoned judgement

2. deciding how to act upon reason

are we free is we lose our political rights but have private freedoms?

• Aristotle - humans need to actively participate in politics to realize their abilities and act together

• Private freedom is insecure; benign dictator can change their mind

1. political coercion

2. social coercion

1. infallibility (censoring the truth)

2. Partly true argument

   1. truth can be found by discussing party true things

3. Dead dogma

   1. censored may be false, but need to actively argue for the truth

the censored view may be true. The censors presume to be infallible, but they may get it wrong and silence the truth

the censored view may be partly true. The full truth can only be found in openly discussing that view and others. Unconventional beliefs often correct what’s missing in popular views

the censored view may be false, but we will hold the truth as a dead dogma if we never argue for the truth. If the false view is silenced instead of disputed, we will lose our grasp of the grounds and meaning of the truth. It will no longer shape our conduct as a vital, living truth

what is morally right depends on what maximizes utility or human happiness (the balance of pleasure over pain)

utility must be grounded on the permanent interests of man

free speech strengthens the active, intellectual, and
moral virtues. If we don’t think for ourselves and openly debate our beliefs, these virtues will atrophy

interference with people’s liberty for the sake of their own good.

Examples: requiring a prescription to buy a medicine, laws mandating the use of seat
belts or motorcycle helmets, special taxes or prohibitions on tobacco

interference with a person’s liberty because their actions are thought by a majority of society to be “immoral,” or the wrong way of life.

Examples: laws against same sex relations, Ulysses being prohibited for being “obscene.”

Mill’s examples: gambling, prostitution

1. individuality: people can develop their own natures

2. society or the state may make mistakes

   1. people can be coerced contrary to their own good

   2. individual knows their own interests better

3. Educative argument: people strengthen active, intellectual, and moral virtues by making decisions about their own lives

   1. Highly developed faculties become virtues

4. Societal utility and progress

   1. Progress and social liberty depend on happiness for 3 reasons

      1. Progress promoted by experiments in living

      2. Progress advanced by originality and genius

      3. Progress depends on active, intellectual, and moral virtues

• democratic mass society surpasses individuality

• Everyone lives under censorship; following the customary

1) The coercive force of law
2) The moral force of public opinion (social penalties)

a) Violation of the rights of others
b) Failure to pay taxes or bear the burdens to defend society
c) Acts that are harmful to others without violating their rights
d) The first two areas may be enforced by law, the third area by public opinion

Prefers small, local government for 3 reasons:

1. Individuals who perform the task better than government (an efficiency
   argument).

2. Even if the government would perform the task better, having individuals do it
   would strengthen their active, moral, and intellectual faculties (an educative
   argument).

3. Assigning the task to government would make it too powerful (an
   excessive government power argument)

• Peaceful, prosperous, and free societies are rare and difficult to sustain; product of reform

• Greater wisdom in experience than theoretical reasoning

• Freedom depends on willingness to work and protect it

define freedom as absence of constraint

according to the left: lack of resources, societal racism, pconstraints of tradition especially in gender, sexuality, and the family; the political
power of the rich

liberals seek to protect freedom by expanding government,but government may threaten freedom

critique: is there a paradox of conservatism?
Conservatives seek to protect freedom by limiting government, but limited government may leave freedom vulnerable to private threats from other citizens or powerful groups

government power, the violation of property rights, campaign finance laws and forms of political correctness that restrict free speech

Long road: the formation of character to use
freedom responsibly

• Institutions that form character (long road)

  • liberal education

  • work

  • family

  • local government

  • religion

Short road: allowing people to do whatever they want, regardless of the effect on others.

• we are free not when we must work for a wage for another person for our mere subsistence.

• Instead, we are free when we freely direct our labor, pursuing creative, meaningful work that realizes our human capabilities (our
  species-being)

1. alienating from product of labor

2. activity of production

3. from his species being

4. alienating humans from each other

the fulfillment of our human nature as persons capable of free, self-directed creative work