Poli Sci Final

what is the goal in understanding ideologies

ideas themselves are going to be importantly understood in a broad way

why are ideologies themselves important

because they structure political understanding, set goals, shape political systems, and act as a form of social cement

what is social cement

if we all share a certain set of political understanding then we can agree on some of the basic rules

what does every ideology seek to do

understand, interpret, explain, and evaluate the social world - explain things we have difficulty understanding

what do ideologies unify groups and classes around

a set of beliefs and values

which revolution brought the rise of many ‘isms’

french revolution

What is Destutt de Tracy most associated with

the idea of the ‘ideologie’

what is an ‘idelogie’

science of ideas: the study of the origin of our ideas and their laws of operation, making sure those are the ways we think of the world

what was the aim of ideologies from french rev.

improve rationality of public discourse, promote progress and truth

why is promoting progress good in a general outlook on ideologies

when thinking about the ideas that structure their world, they might come up with better ideas and will progress all of us as thinkers

why did ideologies become a dirty word in early 1800s

Napoleon supported a return to alliance with Catholic Church and tradition and the idea of ideology turns to be seen as a way to wrongly misunderstand the world

what were Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels concerned with

the way in which one would need to take a critical perspective on ideology, ideologies themselves are not something to be neutrally understood

What did ideologies reflect the ideas of according to Marx and Engels

the ruling ideas of the ruling class

what did Marx and Engels believe about ruling illusions

they conceal exploitative social relations and provide a rationale for class oppression

false consciousness

makes the status quo seem natural, makes exploitation seem natural or necessary

who is famous for the term hegemony

Antonio Gramsci

hegemony

the idea that there is a top point of ideas that reflect the ideas of capitalists

which world view rules under hegemony

the capitalist ‘world view’

Common Sense

suggests that ideas that are considered legitimate for the prevailing time period because they benefit the dominant class

what does Common Sense refer to

where an ideology makes it seem natural and legitimate to have certain systems of exploitation, oppression, and removal of choice

what is the modern definition of ideology

a set of ideas which provides basis for organized political action

what is ideology aimed at doing

preserving, modifying, or overthrowing the existing system of power, seeks to suggest the current system of power needs to be changed in some way

what are the three parts to any ideology

1. has a worldview of the existing order

2. provide a vision of the future good society

3. provide an explanation of how political change can and should happen

what do ideologies describe

what is the current world we live in, why it is this way, and propose what should be - provide a plan of action

what are the two types of ideologies

classical ideologies and new ideologies

what are the four main classical ideologies

liberalism, conservatism, socialism, and fascism

what do classical ideologies emphasize

how economics should play out, what are the interests that different groups have, and what should be the role of the social class in determining how people relate to each other

what are the 4 main new ideologies

feminism, ecologism, religious fundamentalism, and multiculturalism

what do new ideologies stress

cultural lens, what is an identity of a person, whether you are part of social class A or B is a question of what you identify with and have to make choices in that regard

what is key disagreement a question of in regards to ideologies

values, human nature, state intervention

what do ideologies on the left end of the spectrum value

liberty, equality, and community

what do ideologies on the right end of the spectrum value

order, authority, hierarchy

what is perception of human nature on the left end of the spectrum

optimism, social progress, ‘changeable’

what is perception of human nature on the right end of the spectrum

pessimism, skepticism about change, ‘fixed’

What does the left end of the spectrum believe about state intervention

necessitated, economic regulation

What does the right end of the spectrum believe about state intervention

suspicious, deregulated markets

what is common to liberalism?

aim to promote individual liberty, value liberty, but disagree about the nature of liberty

what do libertarians believe about the individual

are the agents in politics, society, etc

what are Barry’s 3 features of Liberal States?

1. religious toleration

2. freedom of press

3. abolition of servile social status

what is religious toleration

liberal states allow people to worship in private realm whichever religion they choose

what is freedom of press

individuals are allowed to say what they want to say and can choose to publish that information to others

what is abolition of servile social status

no one is forcibly the servant of another

What are Barry’s 3 features of Liberalism

1. no religious dogma can reasonably be held with certainty

2. every doctrine should be open to critical scrutiny

3. fundamental equality of all human beings: inequality is an artifact

what are the two main periods which begin liberalism

medieval Europe and the revolutions in England, France, and America

religious conformity in Medieval Europe

catholicism was the religion you had to be, idea that if you were in Europe you were Catholic

Feudalism in Medieval Europe

idea that wealth flows up and power flows down

Ascribed status in medieval europe

you were born into a role and could not rise in ranks, stuck in your position for life

political absolutism in medieval europe

king/monarchy had absolute power over political discourse

what did people begin to believe in instead of absolute ascribed status

idea of achieved status and equal opportunity

what specifically in the church was the protestant reformation upset about

indulgences

what did protestants disagree with in regards to the church

disagreed that priests were the only authority that could tell you what to believe or how to interpret God, believed the individual had a relationship with God

what did later Calvinists believe in

the right to overthrow rulers who do not tolerate free exercise of their religiion

what were the key ideas of the England Revolution

1. constitutional monarchy

2. freedom of worship for dissenters '

3. religious toleratiion

what is the idea of constitutional monarchy in england revolution

idea that we can have a king who can rule over us but will be done within the framework of a constitution, not absolute power

what are the key themes of the American revolution

1. no taxation without representation

2. all men are created equal

3. legitimate government protects our natural rights

what is no taxation without representation

if the state is going to take wealth from me then it has to let me have a say in how my wealth is being used

what were the key ideas of the french revolution

1. the rights of man and the citizen

2. equal opportunity

3. constitutional government

4. religious toleration

what are the rights of man and the citizen

man being people in the broadest sense, citizen being that state is responsible to promote our rights

what is constitutional government according to french revolution

the people rule, but the self rule is put into confines of a constitutional perimeter

what are the 5 central themes of liberalism

1. individualism

2. freedom

3. reason

4. justice

5. toleration

What is individualism in liberalism

the primary of the individual as the agent of society and politics

how did Kant support individualism in liberalism

people are not tools to be used for other purposes

What is Mill’s Harm Principle

suggests we want to ensure that people are not causing harm to others, that the state stays largely out of their way

what are negative freedoms

the rights we have which keep us free from the state like free speech

what are positive freedoms

the state plays a role so one can actually enjoy their freedoms like education to learn language to exercise freedom of speech

the three part concept of freedom

A is free from B, ability of B to make A do what A wants to do

A is also free to do or become C

what does the enlightenment project suggest

individuals can come together and study things and know things

what is enlightenment in liberalism

process of accumulating knowledge, learning different knowledge bases on explaining what happens through reason

what is paternalism

the idea that you can be told what is best for you to do, libertarians disagree

what is justice according to liberalism

• moral equality

• equal citizenship

• equality of opportunity

what is toleration according to liberalism

secularism and pluralism

state and the rule of law in liberalism

state itself tied to the rule of law, rules set out that the state and individual must abide by

state as a social contract

agreement with you and others to be apart of this political community and to accomplish certain things including obligations like taxes

what is constructionalism

include constitution, bill of rights, rule of law, prevention of tyranny by majority - separation and melding of powers

common themes of classical liberalism

1. natural rights

2. utilitarianism

3. economic liberalism

4. social darwinism

what are the 3 functions of the ‘minimal state’

1. protect property and public order

2. defence

3. contract enforcement

what is the connection between utilitarianism and liberalism

freedoms and right maximize happiness

what is Adam Smith’s economic liberalism

against state decided market, individuals could do the types of economic activities they wanted to

what were Smith’s core ideas of capitalism?

• competition is fair and efficient

• the invisible hand: from self-interest to public good

• free-trade benefits everyone

• benefits the worst off

• promotes international peace

• fosters self-reliance

What was government’s role according to Smitth

• defence against attack

• protect property rights

• maintain order (enforce contracts etc)

• provide public education

• provide infrastructure to do business

What is Spencer’s social darwinism

social evolution, similar to biological evolution, certain groups evolved further than others

Spencer’s view of distributive justice is that no state aid to the poor because…

1. unfit to survive

2. society is too complex to be controlled in way government wants

3. should not override property rights

What did T.H. Greene say about the government

not merely necessary evil, state can advance individual liberty by promoting equal opportunities for us all

what are Greene’s 2 concepts of freedom

1. negative freedom: absence of restraint

2. positive freedom: actual ability to do something worth doin

what is the welfare state

state in which there are retirement plans, compensation for being hurt at work, minimum wage etc

What is the desire to conserve

seeks to reply to changes coming forth by asking and demanding we first seek to conserve what we already have

what do conservatives believe about tradition

support existing institutions and practices, gradual or no change, skepticism about political knowledge

why are conservatives skeptical about political knowledge

do not think we can come up with the ‘right political knowledge’ and humans will exercise their free will regardless, but what we can do is have traditions we can follow

what is conservative human imperfection

any attempt to make humans perfect is not going to work as we are not changeable at fundamental level by social engineering

what is organic society

society is a living organism and is prior to + more than the individual

what is a social covenant

social contract passed down, the way we come to hold rules and customs

what do conservatives believe about the distribution of property

needs to be voluntary, state has no right to interfere in any way

what form of conservatism does Joseph De Maistre hold

Authoritarian Conservatism

why was authoritarian conservatism against enlightenment

do not need to make individuals smarter or reengineer them, the Church has a whole guide on how people should live

conservative objections to revolutionary change

against reductive ‘individual’ and ‘class’, neither talk about what people actually do

conservatism’s 3 objections to the revolutionary state

1. perversity

2. futility

3. jeopardy

what is the conservative objection of perversity

more money for middle and upper class, exploit tax system to get money

what is the conservative objection of futility

people in lower socio-economic classes lack resources for good schools, tools, tech, success-support, jobs, etc

what is the conservative objection of jeopardy

reducing inequality; increase class divisions; preserve on professional programs

libertarian conservatism

reject traditional conservative emphasis on tradition, authority, and organic society, but defend private property and strong state to maintain public order