675 Lecture Notes - Lecture 2: Cesare Borgia, Christianity Today, Aristocracy
20 Jun 2018
School
Department
Course
Professor
Democracy
Ideology, Democracy and Politics
The Democratic Ideal
The Origins of Democracy
Socrates
Plato, Aristotle and the Romans
Republicanism, Christianity and the Renaissance
Machiavelli
The Return of Democracy
Ideology
Role of ideas in politics
Arendt on ideas and thinking/events and happenings
The role of ideas
Views of ideologies
Classical ideologies and new ideologies
Visible and invisible, consciousness and conscience
Actual events and invisible ideas
Politics, philosophy and democracy
The Democratic Ideal and Actual Events
The popularity of democracy and actual contemporary events
Nation states no longer having control
Everyone claims to be a democrat
Gives you legitimacy
General agreement
Desirable
In midst of contestation
Why is this the case?
Different ideological persuasions
Democracy blurred and misused
Sydney Democracy Network- Dark Money (read)
The Rise of Private Power
Public vs. Private- key distinction
US understanding of democracy (liberal)
Capital vs. Labour
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Mao Tse Tung examples
'Peoples democratic dictatorship'
Widespread agreement that democracy is a good thing although different people
mean different things by democracy (disagree on how to achieve)
E.g. Liberal Men vs. Aristocracy
The Democratic Ideal
Feature of modern politics
Best form of government worst form of rule
You get to make the choices that effect your life
E.g. exam question 'how is democracy a essentially contested concept?"
Pursue in different ways as understand differently
An essentially contested concept
Democratic ideal a feature of modern politics
What sis it mean before modern era
The Origins of Democracy
Form of political life
Roots in Greece
Meant specifically rule of government by the common people (uneducated)
Identified with majority rule
Contrast aristocracy
Athens (Polis- city state) not government. Committee of men that discussed the best
interest of their citizens
Best example of a democratic city state
Tiers of Greek Society
Statesmen
Poet
Craftsman
Common People
Pericles- leader in Athens.
Funeral Oration
Aware of the tension between the aristocrats and democrats
Underlying belief that most citizens are capable of governing
Athenian Democracy
Paid citizens in lieu of work
Filled political offices by lottery not ballot
Public spirited citizen (polites) v/s the self interested individual (idiotes)
Notion of citizenship (difference to notion of consumer today as core unit in society)
Requiem of the American Dream
find more resources at oneclass.com
find more resources at oneclass.com
