PHIL POL REVIEWER

Political Ideologies

Anarchism

  • Rejects the state as unnecessary evil

  • Views the state as legalized oppression

  • Believes all states have the same essential character

Socialism

  • Contrasting view of the state

  • Marxists see the state as an instrument of class rule

  • Other socialists see the state as an embodiment of the common good

Liberalism

  • Sees the state as a neutral arbiter

  • Classical liberals view the state as a necessary evil

  • Modern liberals recognize the state's positive role in promoting freedom and equal opportunities

Conservatism

  • Links the state to authority and discipline

  • Traditional conservatives support a balance between the state and civil society

  • Neoliberals call for the state to be "rolled back" as it threatens economic prosperity

Fascism

  • Views the state as a supreme ethical ideal

  • Nazis see the state as a vessel or tool for the race or nation

Characteristics of Ideology

  • Ideologies end in -ism

  • Provide an explanation for problems in society

  • Mobilize a large number of people

Functions of Ideologies

  • Address basic human psychological needs

  • Provide a sense of understanding history

  • Are powerful and essential

Ideologies from the Left

  • Against the state and religion

  • Tend to abolish private property

  • Sometimes believe in violence to defy the status quo

Ideologies of the Center

  • Promote freedom of the person

  • Lean towards classical or neo ideologies

  • Against dictatorship and abolishing the market system

Principle of Separation of Powers and Checks and Balances

Principle of Separation of Powers

  • Classifies government powers into three branches

  • Legislative branch makes laws

  • Executive branch enforces laws

  • Judicial branch applies and interprets laws

3 Ways to Change the Law

  1. Court assembly

  2. Constitutional Convention

  3. People's initiative

3 Branches of the Philippine Government

  • Legislative (Congress, Senate, House of Representatives)

  • Executive (President, Vice President, Cabinet)

  • Judicial (Supreme Court, other courts)

Q and A

  • Political Science seeks to understand the relationship between individuals and political institutions

  • Aristotle is known as the Father of Political Science

  • Governance is the process of decision-making and implementation

  • Good Governance minimizes corruption and includes the voices of the most vulnerable

  • Niccolo Machiavelli is known as the Father of Modern Political Science

Preamble (197 Constitution of the Philippines)

  • The sovereign Filipino people seek to build a just and humane society

  • The government should embody ideals and aspirations, promote the common good, and secure blessings of independence and democracy

  • The rule of law, truth, justice, freedom, love, equality, and peace are important

Page 5: Elements of a State

  • People

  • Territory

  • Sovereignty

  • Government

  • Recognition

Territory

  • Refers to the portion of the earth composed of aerial, fluvial, and terrestrial domains

  • Maritime terms:

    • Territorial Sea (12 nautical miles) - Coastal states have sovereignty and exclusive fishing rights

    • Contiguous Sea (24 nautical miles) - Coastal states can enforce customs, immigration, and sanitation laws

    • Exclusive Economic Sea (200 nautical miles) - State has recognized rights to explore, exploit, conserve, and manage natural resources

    • Continental Shelf (350 nautical miles) - Countries have exclusive rights to natural resources

    • High Seas - Beyond EEZ, common heritage of humankind

Sovereignty

  • Refers to supreme and absolute power within territorial boundaries

  • Types of sovereignty:

    • Internal - power of the state to rule within its territory

    • External - freedom of the state to carry out its activities without subjection or control by other states

Government

  • Refers to the institution or agency through which the state maintains social order, provides public services, and enforces binding decisions

  • Forms of government:

    • Distribution of Power: Unity, Confederation, Federal

    • Citizen Participation: Autocracy, Absolute Monarchy, Oligarchy, Democracy

    • Legitimacy: De jure (recognized by the people and based on the constitution), De facto (recognized by the people but not based on the constitution)

    • Executive and Legislative Relationship: Presidential and Parliamentary

Inherent Powers of State

  • Police Power

  • Eminent Domain

  • Taxation

Page 6: Forms of Government and Laudato Si

Forms of Government (according to number of rulers)

1 ruler:

  • Monarchy (Absolute, Constitutional)

  • Tyranny

Few rulers:

  • Aristocracy

  • Oligarchy

Many rulers:

  • Democracy (Direct and Indirect)

  • Anarchy

Laudato Si

  • Second encyclical of Pope Francis

  • Subtitle: "On care for our common home"

  • Criticizes consumerism and irresponsible development

  • Laments environmental degradation and global warming

  • Calls for swift and unified global action

  • Voices of the Laudato Si' Movement:

    • Arouna Kande (a climate refugee) - Voice of the poor

    • Dr. Greg Asner & Robin Martin (ASU researchers) - Voice of science/wildlife

    • Ridhima Pandey (A teenage Indian environmental activist) - Voice of the Youth

    • Chief Dada Borari - Voice of the Indigenous people