KEY CONCEPTS- lec 1-2

Question 1

polis

Answer 1

the root of politics, Greek for ‘city-state’

• relevant as politics were organized around the polis (city-state) of Athens
• the ideal polis, for plato, leads to the common good and is steered by the philosopher-king as this leads to the common good

Question 2

Plato

Answer 2

the republic, 380 BC
-an art- politics as a branch of ehtics

• the ruler’s task is to rule for the common good
  -politics are elitist: ideal ruler is the philosopher-king;
  the individual’s soul is divided in 3 parts: rationality, Emotion and appetite that correspond, respectively, to 3 positions/classes in society: rulers, warrior, artisan
  -political thought looks at how politics ‘ought to be’

Question 3

machiavelli

Answer 3

the prince, 1513

• an art of POWER: the prince must manage fortuna with his virtu (symbolized by river and dams and women and beating)
• purpose of politics is to ensure power to prince and maintain order; the ‘people’ will aways cause trouble; elitist
• requires dirty hands; the ends justify the means

Question 4

The modern age

Answer 4

Began with 17thC enlightenment
individual is paramount; reason/science over religion/philosophy in the search for universal laws;
-Inductive and deductive approach
- Development of Market with private property

-politics as science rather than art: discover universal laws; reductionism (small to big); progress as a way to move AWAY from traditional forms of gov’t and thinking

Question 5

Thomas Hobbes

Answer 5

17th C england
- The Leviathan 1651
- Applied Gallileo’s mathematical metod to politics
King’s power comes from component parts of the state
- believed in absoliutes monarchy

Question 6

The Leviathan

Answer 6

1651

• at the height of english civil war and of divine rule
• ‘bottom up’ view of politics; revolutionary at the time because it ignored the ‘divine right’
• glory, power, ambition as main forces acting upon people
• gov’t must adhere to THE LAW OF SELF-PRESERVATION: the ideal would be a monarchy
• individuals are the body of state

Question 7

Fortuna

Answer 7

“Luck” that can threaten the power of the prince

- Analogies are of a woman and a river

Question 8

Philosopher-king

Answer 8

One that is versed in both philosophy and knowledge
- Plato’s ideal ruler
Will not always want to rule

Question 9

Behaviouralism

Answer 9

• behavioural revolution in 1950s, post-WW2; gained popularity in 60s
• importance of scientific method in study of social phenomena
• objective measurements

assumes human behaviour is capable of being measured and that generalizations can be made from it

Question 10

Empirical analysis

Answer 10

identifying observable phenomena in the real world to establish ‘WHAT IS’ rather than ‘WHAT OUGHT TO BE’

• basis of natural sciences; positivist political analysts use empirical analysis
• comparative method:

Question 11

Semantic analysis

Answer 11

understanding the meaning of concepts that we use, how they came about and why we use them