Class Slides Flashcards
tyranny
the organized expression of the will of an individual or small group. it will generate fear of the state or the dictator
anarchy
the chaotic expression of individual or small group will. it will generate fear or disorder
the human predicament cycle
tyranny -> revolution -> anarchy -> competing groups ->
why revolutions?
tyrants go to extremes to maintain power
collective action problem
how to get everyone together to cooperate in getting rid of the leader
points of the constitution of knowledge
checks and balances, free speech, public knowledge is defined by a community and is decentralized, authorities cannot control knowledge
plato believed…
government should push virtue
david hume believed…
man is self-regarding
self-interest
actions are motivated solely by concern for our well-being
public virtue
we consider the effect of our actions on others and care deeply about how those actions affect them
adam smith believed…
self-interest is global, virtue is local
John Winthrop believed…
people should only have civil liberty- the right to do good- not natural liberty- the right to do as one pleases
*what mechanism controls society?
self control through public virtue, coercion by government to control self-interest, structures or institutions that use self-interest or virtue for the common good (we want both markets and governments to do this)
Jamestown
corporate community
God’s elect
John Calvin preached a morality of hard work and constant moralism
moral self-governance
the Puritans looked for every family to govern themselves- AND watch for their neighbors
Irony of Jamestown
birthplace of American democracy AND American slavery
centralized from London
corporate governance to take lands from the indigenous people and produce profits
decentralized from London (but locally centralized)
social compacts
local democracy
the House of Burgesses & New England town meetings
highly locally centralized, and dehumanizing, as things could get
slaveholding
most people want _____ for those they govern, but _____ for themselves
centralization; decentralization
who provided intellectual grounds for the Glorious Revolution?
John Locke
the rule of law implies…
the individual has some autonomy and freedom
the laws must be general. they must apply to broad categories of people, not to specific individuals or groups. we should never know in advance who will be helped or hurt by the law
generality
the laws should apply prospectively- to action in the future not action in the past
prospectivity
the laws should be publicly known and certain. people should know what the is and know that it will be enforced. there should be a fairly standard punishment for violation
publicity
the legal process must be applied impartially. justice must not be prejudiced for or against anyone
due process
British vs colonist’s view of the Glorious revolution
British: power of Parliament are supreme; colonists: the people are supreme
what was the Glorious Revolution about?
decentralization and linking legitimacy and sovereignty
consent
the people must consent to the laws
the rule of law gives us ____
predictability
representation can be- and typically is- based on the idea that elected officials have an ____ to do what the people want
incentive
incentive
something that motivated or encourages someone to do something
basic threats to the rule of law
politicians, us, both politicians and us working together
the root of representation and how governments are designed
incentives
Toussaint Louverture
led the Haitian Revolution
what kind of society did Toussint Louverture want to build?
economically restricted and authoritarian (with him at the center)
Jean Jacques Dessalines
Toussaint’s ruthless successor
why did the Haitian Revolution fail?
no institutions were created
ingredients of a good founding
commitment to a creating a good society, rule of law, history of self-governance, distance from the center of power, people virtuous enough to want to have this society , legislature that is incentivized to respond to the people, economic prospects
conflict of interests between England and the colonies?
colonists wanted economic freedom while the English government wanted an economy regulated for the interests of the Crown
British goal
increase the gold and silver reserves of the empire
two basic forms of economic organization:
free exchange and command/planned/regulated
free exchange: centralized or decentralized
decentralized (capitalism, market economy)
command/planned/or regulated: centralized or decentralized?
centralized (socialism, communism, mercantilism)
what was the fuse for the American revolution?
economic interests and people’s personal vision of the good society
main concept of the good society:
we will want different rules and institutions depending on what we believe about humanity
people only accept the sovereign- or the government- only if…
the ideas are legitimate
what showed that people can come up with a way to live together?
Mayflower Compact
social compacts…
keep everyone in line, establish expectations, put order to the chaos, getting everyone on the same page
Adam Smith opposed ____
mercantilists
institution
an enduring system or social structure. often tend to involve things like a legislature, courts, councils, etc
