POG 240 Lecture Notes - Lecture 7: John Stuart Mill, Primitive Culture, Aeschylus

• School: Ryerson University
• Department: Politics and Public Administration
• Course: POG 240
• Professor: Daniel Rubenson

Document Summary

One of problems with these type of explanations- lots of stuff seems appealing but it is difficult to know what is defined as culture. Cultural arguments- divide these into primordial and constructivist arguments. Primordialist- democracy is not for everyone, there are some places where democracy works and others that don"t. Constructivist- democratic culture is required, but culture can be formed, changed, not st in stone, so anywhere can become a democracy and develop these norms, culture is not an obstacle that cannot be overcome. Some places are well suited to democracy and others poorly suited is not a new idea, goes back to ancient greeks. Aeschylus argued that you have authoritarianism in asia, and democracy in athens. Monesquie- argued similar things, monarchy most suited to europeans, he lived in. Europe so he was saying it based on what he saw, democracy suited to asians.