Decision Types / Realms
•Individual
•Economic
•Small Group
•Large Group
•Government
GovernmentA vehicle for making social decisions
–Can legally use force
–But legitimacy – public acceptance – is preferred
–Sovereignty
–Popular Sovereignty
Politics
•Robert Dahl – The Authoritative Allocation of Values
•Robert Dye – Who gets what, when, and how
•Expressing, managing, and resolving disagreements
•The Art of Compromise vs. War – The Art of Victory
Partisan Politics
•A subset of politics
•one group seeks to make itself look good
- - honest, smart, patriotic, etc. - -
and its opponents look bad
•What people mean when they describe an
argument as “Oh, that is just politics
Political Theory:How Should Government Be Structured
•Plato
•Hobbes
•Rousseau
•Locke
Plato
•@ 428-348 B.C. or B.C.E
•Primary Work: The Republic
Plato: Background
•Lived in Greek City-State
•In Athens most felt the Political Life was the ethical life
•The good state was the harmonious state
Plato: Differences in Ability
•Believed Society consisted of 5 classes
–Serfs
–Farmers
–Craftsmen
–Soldiers
–Philosopher-Kings
Plato: Nature of Philosopher-kings
•Decades of training as a philosopher
Philosophy -- the seeking of truth
•Communal existence
Possibly many philosopher kings
no conflict of interest
•Would then make wise decisions
for the benefit of all
Plato: Why a philosopher as a king?
•The Analogy of the Cave
–People chained in cave all their life
–Can only face back cave wall with sun behind them
–Sometimes see caravans pass by, but only see shadows on wall
–If someone found them and took one of the people outside into blinding sunlight and said
–THIS IS TRUTH, your life is false.
•What would happen?
Thomas Hobbes
•1588-1679
•Primary work: The Leviathan
Thomas Hobbes: Background
•What is the rationale for the existence of any state and ruler.
•From post Roman Empire through Middle Ages was Divine Right of Kings
•Was no longer effective
–Protestant revolution
–English Civil War
–Rise of Secular Rulers
Hobbes: State of Nature
•What are people like in their essence?
–Take away society, social conditioning and social regulation
–Live in anarchy -- a state of nature
•Answer:
–We are selfish – take what we want
–A constant war of all against all
–Life is “solitary, poor, nasty, brutish, and short
Hobbes: Solution
Must have a strong sovereign
Absolute power to maintain order
King has interest in ordered society
Even if bad, better than thousands of roving butchers
So never revolt against current rulers
Jean Jacques Rousseau
•1712-1788
•Various works
Rousseau: The State of Nature
•Man is good by nature
–But may be corrupted by society
•some bad apples, and people make mistakes, but these are few
–We are social people
–Like to have friends and do good
•Thus life in state of nature is not too bad
Rousseau: General Will
•Society better than state of nature
•We make mistakes
•But have an innate ability to recognize truth
•Interaction / discussion likely to produce wise decisions
•BUT, overthrowing a bad ruler and living in a state of nature not to be feared
Hobbes vs. Rousseau
•What is the core essence of a human being?
•What are we like in the state of nature?
Hobbes, Rousseau, and Contemporary Ideologies
Conservatives
•Hobbesian about average people
–Against welfare
–Favor strong defense and tough law enforcement
•BUT, Rousseauean about Business and wealthy
–Reduce government regulation
–And provide tax breaks
Liberals
•Rousseauean regarding poor, criminal justice and foreign affairs
–most are decent people down on their luck
–Favor individual freedom vs. law enforcement
–Favor negotiation vs. military force
•BUT Hobbesian about business
–Will take advantage of every opportunity to make a profit regardless of ethics
–So regulate for the public benefit
John Locke
•1632-1704
•Primary work: Second Treatise on Government
John Locke & Social Contract
•Social Contract Theory discussed and debated by others, including Hobbes and Rousseau.
•Locke is Social Contract theorist closest to American ideas
Social Contract Principle 1
There is a natural law
A law of nature or God -- higher than any human law
“all men are by nature, free, equal, and independent”
And “enjoy the rights to life, liberty, and property”
Social Contract Principle 2
People consent to government
enter a social contract and
“accept the bonds of government
in order to better protect their rights.”
Social Contract Principle 3
Government transgressions
justify changing it
•any government than transgresses on people’s rights
–breaches the social contract and
–“forfeits the power the people had put into its hands.”
•People then have the right to
–“resume their original liberty,”
–dissolve the government, and create a new one.
The Declaration of Independence
Sections of the Declaration
The Preamble
Principles of Government
The Wrongs of Britain
Conclusion
The Preamble
Why Write it
•So others will understand our decision
–for world opinion,
•Also directed to friends, family, & political leaders in Europe
•So people won’t think colonists were totally irrational
Principles of Government
•We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness.
• That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed.
•That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government
The Wrongs of Britain
A list of 30-50 grievances
Conclusion
We, therefore, the Representatives of the United States of America, in General Congress, Assembled,
appealing to the Supreme Judge of the world for the rectitude of our intentions,
do, in the Name, and by Authority of the good People of these Colonies, solemnly publish and declare, That these United Colonies are, and of Right ought to be free and independent states;
that they are Absolved from all Allegiance to the British Crown, and that all political connection between them and the State of Great Britain, is and ought to be totally dissolved;