Lecture Notes: Body Politic, Elites, and Constitutional Theory (copy)

Body Politic

The composite of a nation’s diverse political ideas and actors; its size and inclusivity can change over time.

Elites

Groups or individuals with disproportionate influence; not a fixed '1%'; includes technology, finance, media, and entertainment sectors; power is shaped by constitutional rules and social norms.

Constitutional Parameters

The rules and norms that structure political power, including the balance between stability and reform; in the UK, a non-codified constitution built on precedent; in the US, a written constitution with checks and balances.

Social Contract

The foundational idea that governments exist to secure natural rights (often cited as life, liberty, and property) and derive legitimacy from an implicit bargain with the governed.

Natural/Unalienable Rights

Rights that pre-exist government and cannot be legitimately taken away by authorities; Locke’s framing emphasizes property as a central inalienable right.

Liberalism and Classical Liberalism

Political philosophy that stresses individual rights, limited government, and rule of law as the basis for legitimate political authority.

Virtue and Terror

A classical tension in revolutionary governance; debate about whether government can or should cultivate virtue through coercive power or terror.

Federalist 51

A foundational text arguing for institutional design to control government and prevent the aggregation of power; includes the famous line about angels and the necessity of checks and controls.

Declaration of Independence

The document asserting the legitimacy of government, listing grievances against the Crown, and claiming rights as the basis for independence.

Revolutionary Democracy vs. Other Forms of Legitimacy

The question of whether revolutions aim at creating democratic governance or other political orders, and the role of popular sovereignty in these movements.