Poli-Sci Exam 1 Review

normative political science

Theorizing about the way

politics should or ought to be

empirical political science

theorizing about the way politics is

weber's three sources of state authority

traditional, charismatic & rational

four features of states

territory, population, authority with the monopoly on the (legitimate) use of force, diplomatic recognition of other states

state

a sovereign political entity

nation

a distinct group of people who share a common background, including geographic location, history, racial or ethnic characteristics, religion, language, culture, or belief in common political ideas

nation-state

a state encompassing a single nation in which the overwhelming majority of the people form a dominant in-group who share common cultural, ethnic, and linguistic characteristics

stateless nation

share a sense of common identity but no longer control the homelands or territories they once inhabited

political realism

The key to understanding politics is self-interest

political idealism

enlightened self-interest can lead to world peace and an end to the cycle of war

republic

a system of government in which power is exercised indirectly through representatives who are voted into office by citizens of the state

democracy

a system of government in which the supreme power is vested in the people and is exercised by them directly or indirectly by a system of representation usually

theory of becoming

the universe is a constant state of random and arbitrary change and can be understood in material terms

theory of being

a pre-existing and permanent design underlines our ever-changing material world

sophists

believed that happiness was acquired through material accquisitions

believed laws were unecessary and prevented the strong from achieving their full power

believed in moral relativism

Socrates

believed that happiness was acquired by pursuing the good life and nurturing the soul

Plato's three parts of the human soul

craftspeople/appetite, auxiliaries/spirit, guardians/rational

Plato's republic

justness is superior to unjustness

Allegory of the cave

a metaphor that symbolizes society

when people look at the shadows in the cave they are imagining

when people are freed from their shackles and look at the object behind them they are believing

and when people step outside the cave into the sun they achieve knowledge

only the philosopher king is capable of leading society out of the cave and into knowledge

Plato's Theory of Forms

world of appearances and intelligible world, everything in appearances is an imperfect representation of the the ideal form in the intelligible world, thus, there is an objective truth to everything

Aristotle's Theory of Forms

all form are attempting to reach ideal form (potentiality to actualization) and humans have a pre-existing ideal form that we must achieve to reach happiness

Aristotle's three human communities and stages development

family unit, village, polis

Aristotle's theory of mixed constitutions

most political systems can work, as long as the leaders of the system pursue justice instead of self-interest

traditional conservatism

The belief that government should not change should but should reflect the changes that have already taken place in society. Conservatism believes that government should play role in upholding traditional and religious values and that societally changes occur incrementally. Edward Burke is seen as the father of conservatism

classical conservatism

belief in the supernatural authority, emphasis on preserving existing traditions within society, support for hierarchies, believes that the state force people to accept class domination

classical liberalism

free market, civil liberties, natural rights, rule of law, individual autonomy, economic freedom

Marxism

Critiques capitalism and views class struggle as the main driver of historical change

Machiavelli's Economy of Violence Theory

Describes how rulers should use force precisely, sparingly, and all at once when necessary rather than constantly

This is not an unconstrained tool of pure malice, rather it should be used effectively.

modern liberalism

Modern liberalism points out problems with "majority rule" and equality by emphasizing the tendency of democracies to degenerate into a tyranny of the majority. Alexis de Tocqueville and John Stuart are two leading modern thinkers.

justice as fairness

A just society is designed by imagining what rules rational people would choose if they don't know their wealth, status, or social position in society. Reshaped how democratic societies though about the distribution of wealth, individual rights, and the roles of the state

veil of ignorance/original position of equality

Necessary in order to create rules for a society is fully just and equal. Thus no one can prioritize self interest of their demographic

Individuals in a society are "ignorant" of their gender, race, wealth, etc.

maximin principle

Maximin Principle is a rule for decision-making under uncertainty. You have to evaluate your options by their worst-case outcomes and choose which has the best "worst" consequence

utilitarianism

Utilitarianism states that the right action or policy is one that produces the greatest overall happiness for the greatest number of people

two principles of justice

First principle: Equal Basic Liberties

Each person has an equal right to the most extensive total system of equal basic liberties

Fundamental rights like speech, conscience, thought, expression, etc. belong equally to every citizen and cannot be traded away for economic gain

Second Principle: Social and Economic Inequalities

Social and economic inequalities must be attached to offices and positions that are open to everyone under conditions of fair equality of opportunity

Inequalities are only allowed if they work to present the greatest of the least-advantaged members of society

If an unequal setup helps improve the standard of living for the worst-off group compared to a strict equal baseline, then it is considered just

power

The ability to control the behavior of persons institutions, whether by influence or coercion

legitimacy

The exercise of power in community in a way that is voluntarily accepted by the members of a community

authority

Command of society's members by those in power, whether through norms accepted by that society or through the threat of violence

power as behavioral influence

A has power over B to the extent that he can get B to do

something that B wouldn't otherwise do.

four faces of power

1. Decision Making Power

2. Agenda-setting power

3. Preference Shaping power

4. Norm shaping

hard power

The ability to get what you want through payments or coercion

soft power

the ability to get what you want through attraction (hegemonic or cultural power)

public goods

individually and socially desirable goods that are

nonexcludable and nonrival in consumption

three features of populism

1. People-centrism: the idea that political legitimacy derives exclusively from the people, a unified and inherently virtuous collective

2. Anti-pluralism: The rejection of multiple, equally legitimate perspectives in favor of a single homogenous "general will" that the populist comes to represent

3. Moralized anti-elitism: The portrayal of elites and any groups associated with them as corrupt and self-serving,

opposition to the morally pure people, positioning them in direct opposition to the morally pure people.

monarchism

A system based on the belief that political power should be concentrated in one person (for example, a king) who rules by decree.

facism

A totalitarian political system that is headed by a popular charismatic leader and in which a single political party and carefully controlled violence form the bases of complete social and political control. Fascism differs from communism in that the economic structure, although controlled by the state, is privately owned.

socialism v. communism

Broad family of ideologies arguing that the economy should have greater social/public control over the means of production rather than being controlled entirely by private owners

Marxism

Marxism: Theoretical tradition originating primarily from Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels

- History is shaped by class conflict

- Capitalism divides society into classes with different economic interests

-Capitalists own the means of production and workers sell their labor

libertarianism

The belief that the state is a necessary evil best kept small and weak relative to society; libertarians typically value individual liberty above social services and security

four models of American democracy

Federalism

More power to national government (Hamilton)

Anti-Federalism

More power to the states, less power to national government

Balanced- Separation of powers/ checks and balances keeps the government power in control (James Madison)

Brokered- Concurrent Majority, dual federalism, nullification Dual federalism is a system where the national and state governments operate in separate, non-overlapping spheres of power (John C. Calhoun)

two dimensions of democracy

Contestation: To what extent are citizens free to organize themselves into competing blocs in order to press for

the policies and outcomes they desire?

Inclusion: Who gets to participate in the democratic process?

majority rule

is a decision-making principle where the option or candidate that receives more than half (50% plus one) of the total votes wins and makes decisions binding for the entire group (often times this system leaves minority groups underrepresented)

checks and balances

Constitutional tools that enable branches of government to resist any illegitimate expansion of power by other branches.

nullification

a legal theory in a constitutional democracy stating that individual states have the right to void, or "nullify," any federal law they deem unconstitutional.

presidential democracy

a system of government where the president is elected separately from the legislature and serves as both the head of state and the head of government

winner-takes-all system

A winner-take-all system is an electoral method where the single candidate or party that receives the most votes in a district or state wins 100% of the allocated representation or power, leaving losing candidates with no representation

plurality vote system

is an electoral system in which the winner of an election is the candidate that received the highest number of votes. The candidate need not win an outright majority to be elected (eg. Electoral College)

Separation of Powers

a constitutional design that divides the responsibilities of government into distinct, independent branches to prevent any single group from holding absolute power

Marxism-Leninism

Marxism-Leninism: Combination of Marxism and Vladimir Lenin

Emphasis on the vanguard party

Disciplined revolutionary political party was necessary to organize the working class and lead the revolution

Marxism-Leninism focuses on how a revolutionary political movement organize itself and seize/maintain state power to build socialism