BIOL 1001 Chapter : CH 5 Outline Fall 2014
Document Summary
Central issue: the claim of sovereigns to give laws without the consent of subjects. Origins of the contract theory of political power. Meta narrative: secularization (also a hint of modernity) Introduction: or put another way: the 17th century crisis was an intensification of a longer-term struggle within the elite in several european states over who would have power and tax revenue. Ideologically expressed in terms of "sovereignty" vs "tyranny" Sovereignty: "the right to give the law to all of the people without their consent" (jean bodin, 1586, emphasis added) Tyranny: "arbitrary or despotic exercise of power unrestrained by law or constitution" or custom (i. e. by "justice") Resistance to "tyrants" is ok even under divine right ("justice" is the reason for the state; tyrants violate that reason: people obey governments because. Fear: physical force/violence or power: usually expressed through the law and legal institutions and use of the police.
