POLI 316 Lecture Notes - Lecture 4: Political Philosophy, Artificiality, Liberal Democracy
23 Sep 2016
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Rivals to the state (same as threats) / state is the most powerful entity in human history. Ideologies and religion often influence the state: socialism, marxism, liberalism, moral obligation (health care, education etc) (ethical norms) The coercive state: democracy= tyranny of the majority, genocide (sometimes inspired by ethnical/ religious differences, moral questions about sovereignty (can you intervene?) raises dilemma, popular sovereignty, state sovereignty. Liberal democracy (least coercive) is it coming into a crisis: huge deficits, aging populations, becoming less productive, less wealthy. Critics of the state: marxist: the state is an instrument of the wealthy/ powerful, state supports economic narrative of the time, revolution= state disappears, tools to pacify and exploit must be uncovered. Conservative: antipathy toward the state: artificiality (the modern state, impersonal (bureaucrats are distant, enforced conformity, boundlessness (getting too big, are their limits to its growth?) Political culture: people have distinct political cultures, reflects values and attitudes about the expectations of governments.
