Chap.3 Flashcards
What is the tension between majority rule and the protection of minority’s constitutional rights?
Key Words:
“tyranny of the majority.” - De Tocqueville
fallacy: homogenous, interest, goals, plans, conditions, places, span
CONSTITUTIONAL RIGHTS OF MINORITY
Ex:
planet Mars
or
loses home for road building, child refused in local school, close proximation airport construction
What are the strengths and weaknesses of direct democracy? What are the strengths and weaknesses of representative democracy?
Key Elements: Direct Democracy I. Strengths: i) Citizens have political power 2. Disadvantages: i) Decision making is slower ii) Unclear who is responsible iii) Tyranny of the majority - (strength of different individual's preferences) iv) Limited vote WHO IS ENTITLED TO VOTE? iv) Gives unpopular less than equal chance
Representative Democracy
I. Strengths:
i) It simplifies the decision-making process.
ii) efficient
2. Disadvantages:
i) Representatives may distort peoples’ demands to suit their own political preferences.
ii) Representatives may not make themselves accountable enough between elections
iii) Gives the unpopular a less than equal chance
Ex. parking ticket price in front of dawson
What is the difference between proportional representation voting system and first past the post-voting system?
Key Words: Meaning Constituency Representative Voting Seats Majority Accountability Clashing Ideas
Ex.
european parliament + Hitler
First past the post: united kingdom
1995 - 30% conservation, total seats 308 but solely 25 seats
According to Plato, why is democracy a bad form of government?
Key Words: “by the people” experts demogogue sophists
Ex.
“Craft Analogy” -> Navigation of ship, medical decisions, education, tend sheep, …
What is Plato’s response to the idea that democracy knows what people want better than philosopher kings?
Key words:
opportunity for corruption is minimized
avoid being ruled by others.
+ make great guardians by raising them young into the best ruler
full of knowledge, benevolence, and wisdom all powered through expertise in the arts of politics.
Ex.
ruling family or clique enriching themselves at the expense of their people would be impossible due to the lack of private property
Generals raise from the ranks of the army
What does it mean that democracy is intrinsically valuable?
Key Words:
processes themselves as it ought to be expressive of freedom and equality.
liberty of political-decision making by the people as they are for the people. Equality lies in this freedom being given to all.
Ex.
Table hobbies
Captain drunk trip
What is the difference between the general will and particular will?
Key Words:
general interest (rational will) + morally correct outcome or the common good
applied equally to all citizens, affects all citizens, and law rule
special interest
selfish, does therefore not affect everyone the same way, and the special interest rules over laws.
Ex.
Money division in company
According to Rousseau, how should laws be made in a popular assembly?
Key Words: question moral common good As taking a test rational in average people have a better right-to-even choice of being right, the outcome will reflect the general will (people are inherently good). Rousseau also belive people are smalt and will research.
Ex.
The law banning smoking in restaurants → does this law follow the general will? → yes → vote, no → do not vote
According to Rousseau, how should the society motivate citizens to follow the general will?
Key Words: simplifying society education (form good habits in order to build good character), censorship, civil religion social sentiments escape good habits
Ex.
Censorship→ drunk youngsters threw up in the tribunal → state issued a law saying everyone is allowed to throw up in the tribunal → to shame and remind
Civil religion → A mother who’s five sons served war, the slaves of the family came back from war sons were all killed but won → mother aks: did you win? Not if her sons were alive → why? sons were sent by god
What is the positive notion of freedom?
Key Words:
freedom of living the life that a rational person would choose to live.
Ex:
Mike the alcoholic
According to Mill, why is democracy better than the good despotism?
Key Words:
Democracy = exercise
growth through inde
Positive depotism: “unlimited, unchecked, unrestricted totalitarian exercise of governmental powers, also a system of rule whereby the rights and liberties of individuals are ignored”pendence
Ex.
Greek cities and persian empires vs italian republics or feudal monarchies vs Holland and Switzerland
According to Mill, What is the open vote?
Key Words:
Accountibility
self-interest
coercion (threat of losing job)
neutreulizing stupidity and ignorance
“read, write, aretmithics”
“first principle” –> welfare = disqualification
disqualification if paid (if one’s labour cannot suffice him he has no right to gain privilege –> not equal)
those who are especially qualified to express judgement should have more than a vote
Ex.
public voting about if smoking should be allowed in restaurants. The pressure of others could lead to a result which is safer for people.
What is Locke’s labor mixing argument?
Basic Idea: If you do something, it is exclusively yours. Someone else needs permission to use it.
Elaboration: It has two premises. 1. You own your labour. It’s as if your labour is an extension of your body, and you own your body.
2. In labouring on an object, you mix your labour with it.
Conclusion: As long as that object was not already justly claimed by another, you own that object you have laboured. (providing you leave enough and as good for others)
Examples: It justifies the appropriation of land (if you grow crops on a land and take care of it, technically this land should be yours), as well as nuts and berries. Those who are the first to work on a plot of land should be entitled to keep it.
What is the problem with the labor mixing argument?
Key Words:
Robert Nozick
natural states (so unowned or owned by everyone)
not only about mixing but labour
Eg. Tomato juice
What is Locke’s value added argument?
Key Words:
Improve the earth through private property. In laboring an object you added its value immensely so you come to own that object.
Change
Eg.
Land
