poli_sci_101_20150123003501 Flashcards
In Aristotle’s definition of politics, he states that “Man, is by nature a political animal”. What does he mean by this?
Politics is ever present, and all people are political.
Whenever two people come together and interact, there is some form of ___.
Politics.
Politics informs how we think about ___, ___, and ___.
Ourselves, others, and the world.
Politics is constantly ___.
Shifting.
Politics is about the ___ and ___ of power.
Negotiation and exercise.
Politics is:
Ever present, relational, negotiating, decision making, and power.
There are two types of power: what are they?
Power to and power over.
Politics tries to understand the intricacies of ___ ___, how people ___ to get what they want, and what will happen in the ___.
Public relations, negotiate, future.
Give an example of the unpredictability of politics.
An assassination of a Tunisian street merchant sparked the Arab Spring and ended two regimes.
For Karl Mannheim, what were at the very heart of politics?
Unpredictability and uncertainty.
Karl Mannheim also drew a clear distinction between ___ and ___.
Administration and politics.
Mannheim described administration as:
Routine affairs of the state.
Mannheim insisted that politics involved:
The play of irrational forces, social competition, and struggle.
What are some features associated with democracy?
Equality, freedom, justice, fairness.
Democracy is seeped in ___ thought.
Liberal.
What is Demos?
People.
What is Cratos?
Rule.
Based on the etymology, what is democracy?
The rule of the people.
Democracy believes that government was ___ the people ___ the people
By the people, for the people.
In democracy, there is faith in the capacity of the ___ to govern the __.
Individual, community.
What is a Polis?
City/state.
What is participatory democracy?
When people in government directly debate upon and vote on issues.
To Aristotle, ___ and ___ were analogous.
Friendship, democracy.
Why did Aristotle say friendship and democracy were analogous?
We must acknowledge that we share needs, histories, and goals in order to empathize.
Liberal democratic thinkers believed in the power and worth of ___.
Individuals.
Which thinkers contributed to the shift to individualism?
Liberal democratic thinkers.
The public was ___ in early liberal democratic systems.
Small.
In the early liberal democratic system, the small government was to govern over ___ affairs.
Common.
The government is indeed involved in private lives, as individuals fight about how to regulate someone else’s ___ life.
Private.
Political Theory is both ___ and ___.
Prescriptive and analytical.
Prescriptive:
Prescribing how societies and political bodies should be structured and how they should function.
Analytical:
Analysing how and why our political relations function the way they do.
Three key points in political philosophy:
There is no winner. Building Canon of Knowledge. Accepting that we need to change the way we think according to changing circumstances of our own political environment.
Canon of Knowledge
Building on past and present knowledge. Amalgamating knowledge, not replacing it.
Western political thought originated in ___.
Greece.
___ Wars influenced Plato and Aristotle.
Peloponnesian.
More specifically, the execution of ___ influenced Plato’s ideas.
Socrates.
During the trial and execution of his teacher, Plato came to realize that:
The ignorant were allowed to rule over the masses and run the government.
Before the wars, there were ___ democracies in the Greek city-states.
Direct.
Direct democracies meant that anyone who was a ___ could vote.
Citizen.
What was the problem with the system of direct democracy in ancient Greece?
The definition of citizen was extremely limited, excluding women, foreigners, and slaves.
Plato supported/questioned direct democracy
Questioned
Plato proposed social and political justice through a state organized to individuals’ ___ and ___.
Capabilities and personalities.
Plato’s new idea of system of governance can be identified as prescriptive/analytic.
Prescriptive.
Governments before Plato’s ideas were run on the basis of virtues such as strength and courage. However, Plato proposed that…
Governments should be run by intellectuals who engaged in philosophical thought and contemplative reason.
Aristotle was considered to be a philosopher of the ___.
Possible.
Aristotle was not as focused on the idea of an ideal state: rather, he looked for ways to make it ___ and ___.
Practical and possible.
Aristotle sought to establish a link between ___ and ___.
Ethics and politics.
By Aristotle’s ideas, the ideal was that you would become the best person for your ___.
Capabilities.
Aristotle stated that a good ___ can prosper only in a good ___.
Individual, community.
By Aristotle’s theories, the ___ comes before ___.
Community, individual.
___ is fundamental to ___, and vice versa.
Politics, ethics.
Political philosophy is thinking about the nature and the ___ requirements of the good life.
Public.
Polis in Greek means
City state, and the active life among citizens within it.
Political philosophy should be understood as a ___ ___.
Extended conversation.
Give an example of the failure of direct democracy
Pericles was reprimanded, but then re-elected.
The most common divide in political philosophy is between the ___ and the ___.
Ancients and the moderns.
The ancients believed in…
The classical tradition starting with the Greeks.
The moderns believed in…
The thought that emerges with the sovereign state and market economy.
In Athens, politics was a moral activity, and was about enabling the ___ ___ and the common good.
Good life.
Socrates proposed that men of good character would rule not for money or power, but out of fear of…
Being ruled by someone worse.
Socrates’ three parts of the soul:
Moderation, courage, and wisdom.
Socrates defined wisdom as the ability to…
See beyond the surface of things.
In Socrates’ division of labour, there would be:
Those who loved money, those who loved honour, and those who were capable of wisdom.
Socrates’ division of labour is likened to these three things:
Sheep, watchdogs, and shepherds.
Aristotle worked from ___, not abstract logic.
Observation.
Aristotle tutored ___ the Great
Alexander.
Aristotle’s citizens required ___.
Phronesis
Phronesis
Practical judgement, which they could gain only by experience and emulation of those who demonstrated it.
Aristotle’s two assumptions that would unsettle us are:
Slaves are expected to do housework, allowing citizens to participate in politics, and women do not possess the rational thought necessary for phronesis.
According to the tragic and Sophocles, the worst of human afflictions is…
The lack of judgement.
Who said that “fanatical enthusiasm is the mark of a real man”.
Thucydides.
Aristotle insisted that “the most important thing is not life, it is the ___ ___”.
Good life.
Hannah Arendt called the capacity for self-interrogation ___.
Thinking.
The Enlightenment was a movement of ___ thought.
Intellectual.
What was the Divine Rights of Kings?
The King or Queen was appointed by God to lead.
Before the Enlightenment and revolutions, how were societies structured?
In a hierarchy.
What are the four things that Enlightenment thinkers questioned?
- Authoritarian rule. 2. Power of religious (Christian) rule. 3. The properties of human nature and intelligence. 4. The possibility for better politics and governments.
In the Enlightenment, there was a shifting of power away from ___ regimes.
Authoritarian.
In traditional liberalism, freedom and equality were valued in…
Legal and narrow terms.
Liberalism as it was explored in the Enlightenment is known as…
“Small L” liberalism.
In traditional liberalism, ___ was understood as being liberty.
Freedom.
Did traditional liberalism embrace or reject legal interference?
Reject.
How did views differ between the ancient Greek times and the Enlightenment? How did the focus shift?
During ancient Greek times, the community was put at the forefront, while during the Enlightenment, the individual was considered to be of utmost importance. Instead of how can you serve the community, it was how can the community serve you.
Who wrote “On Liberty” in 1859?
John Stuart Mill.
What is John Stuart Mill’s Harm Principle?
If a person’s conduct directly harms others, a society has a right to control the conduct and that person. However, if it does not harm others, a society has no right to interfere.
The Harm Principle is indifferent if the actions are ___ or ___.
Ethical or moral.
In John Stuart Mill’s proposed Harm Principle, the role of the state is…
Minimal.
In today’s ideas of freedom, freedom is understood on more ___ terms, where people are allowed to live on their own terms.
Positive.
Give an example of how freedom can be limited, and people can be “unfree” in today’s society.
Having to wear a seatbelt or helmet by law.
Government offers ___ in exchange for complete freedom, which is an acknowledgement that people need assistance.
Support.
Who was the principle figure talked about in class in relation to free speech?
John Stuart Mill.
Give an example of a way that free speech can be expressed in a way that is harmful.
Shouting “fire” in a crowded theatre and causing a stampede.
John Stuart Mill was adamant that ___ themselves never cause harm in the long run.
Ideas.
What are the 3 kinds of equality?
- Equality of citizenship. 2. Equality in the “worth” of rights. 3. Equality of resources needed to live a good life.
Based on the equality of citizenship, the rights of citizens must be ___.
Equal.
Equality of citizenship holds that people must be equal in ___ rights; however, it is not concerned with whether or not you are able to ___ your rights.
Basic, exercise.
Equality in the “worth” of rights focuses on removing barriers so you can ___ rights.
Exercise.
Based on the equality in the “worth” of rights, rights are ___ if you cannot exercise them.
Worthless.
Equality in the “worth” of rights is like levelling the playing field…
To start from.
Equality of resources needed to live a good live is like levelling the playing field…
After the start.
Equality of resources needed to live a good life focuses on distributing resources ___ among society’s members.
Fairly.
If you strive for equality, you invariably ___ in people’s lives.
Interfere.
What is the equality justification?
It is necessary to make goods and services available equally, especially to those who cannot access them themselves.
What is the freedom justification?
Redistribution and rethinking of equality is necessary in order for all members of society to be free.
Freedom and equality are compatible/incompatible?
Compatible.
What did the social contract try to explain?
Why we formed government.
The social contract was a ___ experiment conducted to try to figure out…
Thought; What society would look like without a government.
Who were the main thinkers that explored the social contract discussed in class?
Thomas Hobbes, John Locke, and Jean-Jacques Rousseau.
What was the initial contract between people that needed enforcing by a governing body?
“If you don’t kill me, I won’t kill you; if you don’t steal from me, I won’t steal from you.”
We formed governments to be the ___ of the basic contract.
Arbitrators.
The initial contract between people can be linked back to the ___ principle.
Harm.
The government was formed ___ the people, ___ the people.
By the people, for the people.
The governments before the Enlightenment were hierarchical. However, Enlightenment thinkers pursued the idea that governments should serve…
The needs of the people.
Through the social contract, thinkers tried to figure out how and why free people came together to ___ ___ and ___ ___.
Form government, create laws.
Harold Lazwell defined politics as “who gets ___, ___, and ___.”
What, when, how.
What are some words that describe politics?
Immutable, ever-changing, pervasive, interactive, and unpredictable.
___ is the money of politics.
Power.
The most influential power is…
Silent.
Power is the capacity to…
Make people do things.
Define sovereign power.
Absolute control over what happens in your territory, and the legitimate use of force.
There is a relationship between power, ___, and ___.
Sovereignty, war.
Foucault said that “Politics is a ___ by other means”.
War.
What is power to?
The power to do something, to impact, and to make change.
In pluralism, we join groups, and compete for different ___.
Outcomes.
Pluralists will tell you that a group will not always…because…
Lose, because people do not belong exclusively to one group.
Power over assumes that the system is ___, and people do not start out on an even playing field.
Rigged.
___ assists greatly in elitism.
Conspiracy.
What are the 3 ways of looking at elitism?
- Natural. 2. Instrumental. 3. Organization.
What does the natural way of looking at elitism say?
Having leaders in politics is natural, as there is two classes of people- the leaders and the followers.
What does the instrumental way of looking at elitism say?
It is okay to tell a noble lie (like Strauss did under the Bush administration) in order to protect the people.
The organizational way of looking at elitism says that people get their power from…
Organizations.
All societies are based on conflict of class struggle, and the only way to change that is through war or mass demonstration. This demonstrates…
Marxism.
Authoritarian power can also be referred to as?
State approved power.
What are the three kinds of authoritarian power?
Traditional, charismatic, and legal-rational.
What is traditional power?
Certain individuals have power because of custom or heredity.
What are examples of traditional power?
Monarchs or tribe leaders.
What is charismatic power?
Individuals have authority, which they gain through their popularity with the public.
Authoritarian leaders who gain charismatic power usually come in a time of…
Crisis.
What are examples of authoritarian leaders who used charismatic power?
Hitler in the 1930’s and 40’s and Mussolini from the 1920’s to the 40’s.
What is legal-rational power?
Authority that is based on the rule of law, bureaucracies, and modern institutions such as courts, constitutions, and legislations.
Those who obtain legal-rational power are required to ___ to the rules and regulations of the institutions which they run.
Conform.
Who challenged the way we think about power?
Michel Foucault.
Foucault said that “We never stand outside of power, but instead are ___ by it”.
Created.
Foucault said that power is an ___.
Entity.
According to Foucault, power regulates everything er think and do- this kind of power creates ___ and ___ in our society.
Knowledge, truth.
Foucault claimed that everything we believe to be true has been created by humans. This means that truth…
Can be changed.
Give an example of the power of normal.
Men are not to wear dresses or paint their nails.
What are Iris Marion Young’s 5 faces of oppression?
Exploitation, marginalization, powerlessness, cultural imperialism, and violence.
Young’s 5 faces of oppression explores how oppression exists in ___ societies from a ___ point of view.
Liberal, structural.
Oppression can be so ___ it is hard to see sometimes.
Engrained.
A social group is a collection of people. Is this statement true or false?
False. A social group is more than a collection of people.
Members of a social group have shared ___ but also a shared sense of ___.
Characteristics, identity.
Other commonalities between members of a social group include:
-History. -Social status. -Relationship with external groups.
Exploitation occurs through a steady process of the ___ of the results of labour of one social group to ___ another.
Transfer, benefit.
Marginalization
The act of relegating or confining a group of people to a lower social standing or outer limit or edge of society.
Why is marginalization possibly the most dangerous form of oppression?
It prevents an entire social group from participating in a society and can cause material deprivation and extermination.
Deeming a social group ‘___ ___’ can lead to marginalization.
Less than.
Excluding a group from participating in the ___ realm can lead to marginalization.
Social.
___ the voices of a marginalized group can lead to marginalization.
Silencing.
Not allowing social groups to have their ___ met can lead to marginalization.
Needs.
Cycle of marginalization denies the means to demand ___.
Representation.
Who are the powerless?
-Those who lack authority or power to decide policies or results. -Those over whom power is exercised without their exercising it. -Those who must take orders and rarely have the right to give them.
How does ‘power over’ relate to oppression?
???
How does ‘power to’ relate to oppression?
???
Cultural Imperialism has two components: what are they?
Rendering invisible and othering.
Rendering invisible (in the context of oppression)
When dominant groups’ values are the only ones reflected and heard.
Othering (in the context of oppression)
Rendering marginalized groups deviant, abnormal if they dare to challenge the universality of the dominant group.
In oppression, is violence simply overt or also systemic?
Violence is systemic.
In oppression, violence as a systemic force is explored. This includes violence between ___ ___, and violence as ___, and to be expected.
Social groups, normalized.
What is a state?
A sovereign body that has rule over territory and absolute control over legitimate violence.
What are the two tasks of states?
- Making and implementing political decisions. 2. Protects communities from internal and external threats.
States and government are same/different.
Different.
In terms of a car and a driver, who is the government and who is the state?
The state is the car, and the government is the driver.
The government is everyone who is ___ into office.
Elected.
What are some things that are attached to states, and not government?
Roles & institutions and responsibilities do not change.
What are the four branches of government?
Legislative, executive, administrative/bureaucratic, and judicial.
