CUET-PG Political Science Rapid Fire Revision

Traditional vocabulary flashcards covering key thinkers, concepts, and constitutional provisions from the Political Science revision notes.

The Academy

The institution founded by Plato in 387 BC.

Knowledge is Virtue

A key Socratic principle mentioned by Plato in his dialogues.

Myth of Metals

Plato's concept explaining that individuals are born with gold, silver, or brass in their bodies, determining their social class.

Allegory of the Cave

A metaphor used by Plato to describe the illusory world of politics and the journey to gain true knowledge through reason.

The Lyceum

The institution founded by Aristotle in 335 B.C.

Eudemonia

According to Aristotle, the ultimate goal and highest good for human beings, achieved within a flourishing community.

Phronesis

A Greek term for 'practical wisdom' used by Aristotle to describe the reasoning required to find the Golden Mean.

Zoon Politikon

Aristotle's description of man as a 'political animal' for whom the state is a natural institution.

Fortuna

A concept in Machiavelli's philosophy representing the unpredictable nature of luck, compared to a 'Moody Woman'.

Dual Morality

Machiavelli's idea that a ruler must possess different moral standards than private citizens to effectively maintain statecraft.

Leviathan

The title of Thomas Hobbes's 1651 work and his term for the absolute sovereign or 'Artificial Man' formed by social contract.

Tabula Rasa

The concept of the mind as a 'blank slate' at birth, associated with John Locke.

General Will

Rousseau's concept representing the collective desires and common good of a community, which he equated with 'Real Will'.

Harm Principle

J.S. Mill's principle that the state may only restrict an individual's liberty to prevent harm to others.

Dialectical Materialism

Karl Marx's theory, adapted from Hegel, focusing on matter and material changes as the driver of history through contradictions.

Veil of Ignorance

John Rawls's thought experiment where individuals make impartial decisions about justice without knowing their own social status or talents.

Cultural Hegemony

Antonio Gramsci's idea that the ruling class maintains power by influencing cultural institutions and societal beliefs.

Saptanga Theory

Kautilya's theory describing the seven organs or elements of the state: Swami, Amatya, Janpada, Durga, Kosha, Danda, and Mitra.

Mandala Theory

Kautilya's political geometry of interstate relations based on the geographical placement of allies and enemies.

Universal Religion

Raja Ram Mohan Roy's concept of a religion containing good aspects from all faiths, reflecting monotheism.

Sarvodaya

A term used by Gandhi, inspired by John Ruskin, meaning 'the rise or welfare of all'.

Hindutva

V.D. Savarkar's concept of national identity comprising common blood, race, language, culture, and fatherland.

State Socialism

B.R. Ambedkar's concept advocating for state control over major industries and collective farming to achieve social justice.

Synthetic Universalism

Rabindranath Tagore's idea of finding a middle ground between appreciating diverse cultures and recognizing shared humanity.

Negative Liberty

The concept of freedom defined as the absence of external constraints or coercion from the state.

Distributive Justice

A form of justice, first discussed by Aristotle and modernized by John Rawls, concerning the fair allocation of resources and benefits.

Popular Sovereignty

The principle associated with Rousseau that the authority of the state is created and sustained by the consent of its people.

Jus Soli

A principle followed by India where citizenship is derived from the place of birth (soil).

Polyarchy

A term used by Robert Dahl to describe a pluralist system of representative democracy.

Iron Law of Oligarchy

Robert Michels's theory that all organizations will inevitably succumb to rule by an elite few.

Complex Interdependence

A neoliberal theory in IR developed by Robert Keohane and Joseph Nye emphasizing multiple channels of cooperation between states.

Détente

A term representing the relaxation of tensions between the East and West during the Cold War.

Objective Resolution

The resolution drafted by Jawaharlal Nehru in 1946 that laid the foundation for the Preamble of the Indian Constitution.

Doctrine of Basic Structure

The judicial principle established in the Kesavananda Bharati case (1973) that certain features of the Constitution cannot be amended.

MANDAL Commission

The commission associated with identifying the 'creamy layer' and providing 27% reservation for OBCs as noted in the Indra Sawhney case.

Bounded Rationality

Herbert Simon's concept that decision-makers act with limited rationality due to cognitive and environmental constraints.

Garbage Can Model

A model of organizational choice developed by Cohen, March, and Olsen where problems and solutions are matched randomly in 'choice opportunities'.

Global Commons

Areas not under sovereign jurisdiction, such as high seas, outer space, and the deep ocean floor.

Tragedy of the Commons

Garrett Hardin's concept describing the depletion of shared resources due to individual self-interest.

91st Amendment Act 2003

The constitutional amendment stating that the total number of ministers in the Council of Ministers shall not exceed $15\%$ of the strength of the Lok Sabha.

42nd Amendment Act 1976

Known as the 'Mini Constitution', it added the words Socialist, Secular, and Integrity to the Preamble.