Hindess Aim of pol theory: make normative recommendations about matters of political concern
Mainstream conceptualization of features of modern government:
- Population = autonomous persons
- Belief in rationality of government
- State as distinctive institutional structure independent of rulers
Fiction!!
Government does not operate solely through shared values, it requires producing and shaping capacities of individuals.
Traditional self-description of pol theory as a discipline that offers authoritative normative advice to those who govern, rests on assumptions about:
- Unity of pol decision-making
- Nature of citizens
- Role of values in governvance
- Coherence of the ‘public interest’
= pol theory is built on fictional foundations
Aristotle De mens is van nature politiek (zoon politikon) mensen hebben rede + taal = moreel oordelen, kunnen niet volledig mens zijn buiten polis,
samenleven is natuurlijk
Staat is natuurlijk, niet uit angst of contract doel van de staat = het goede leven (eudaimonia)
‘Some individuals are slave by nature, because they lack the intellectual capacity of self rule.’ Hiërarchie als natuurlijk.
Political belonging is intrinsic to human flourishing.
State (polis) = only setting in which human beings can live a life appropriate to them
Everything in the universe has a telos peculiar to itself. When a thing is good, it has achieved its telos
Telos of human being = eudaimonia, life-long state of active ethical well-being
Dynamis of human being = reason it is only virtue if we use our reason well.
Next to moral virtues, there are intellectual virtues: Sophia en Phronesis.
Everyday happiness is achieved through phronesis. doctrine of the mean: always find a middle ground to be ethical, virtue as the middle way
between two extremes
The supreme good: live a happy life characterized by the accomplishment of virtue.
All form of human association is natural: household, village, polis polis is most completely natural community, based on shared values
Polis provides conditions for moral virtue. goal of polis: encourage virtuous life by its institution + goal of human: live a virtuous life, and therefore a
happy life
Polis is a ‘natural’ community: meets all moral and material needs.
Circularity between individual’s and city’s telos: with more virtuous citizens, the city will be more virtuous, and thus better realize its own telos (=
provide social and pol institutions in which citizens can have happy and virtuous life.
Circle of creation: citizens are made by polis (education, socialization), citizens make polis and institutions (change them in order to encourage virtue).
Stable political system: good balance of few and many + no exclusion monarchy, aristocracy, polity
Stable system: power rests with large ‘middle class’.
Good political system: rule for the common good bad institutions secure good of a part, good institutions secure good of all.
Polity = rule by many for common good democracy = rule by many for the good of those many (poor)
Moral goodness or virtue is key to good and quality ruling.
‘ideal’ (good + stable) regime? Virtuous citizens and strong ‘middle class’
BUT Aristotle excludes many people of his definition of citizens, political equality is limited
Moderation, civic virtue, avoidance of luxury to preserve equality and prevent corruption.
Hobbes Zonder overheid leven mensen in oorlog.
, Mensen zijn rationeel, zelfzuchtig, gelijk in kwetsbaarheid en verlangen naar macht en veiligheid
Natuurtoestand zonder wetten en autoriteit levert permanente onzekerheid. Competitive individuals driven by desires and fear. War of everyone against
everyone.
Mensen sluiten sociaal contract waarbij ze macht overdragen aan soeverein absolute autoriteit is gerechtvaardigd
Politiek is kunstmatige oplossing voor natuurlijke chaos.
Every man has a natural right to self-preservation state of war
Solution: Leviathan abandon natural right to defend oneself at the condition that others do the same for people’s safety and peace
It is rational for individuals to institute the Leviathan
Leviathan is 2nd best option to organize a state, best option is natural state, but doesn’t work
Horizontal contract between people (= subjects), not with the sovereign
Leviathan’s sovereignty means: absolute decision, enforces law by force, judiciary power, rights depend on his will, BUT power is conditional
Defence of absolute sovereignty, but origin of power lies in the people, they are the source of power.
Locke Natuurtoestand =/= oorlog, maar = onveilig
Mensen zijn redelijk en moreel, bezitten natuurlijke rechten (vrijheid, leven, eigendom) ‘state of nature has a law of nature to govern it’
BUT no impartial judge, no authority to enforce law
Staat is noodzakelijk om rechten te beschermen, maar beperkt. Vrijheid blijft fundamenteel.
State of nature = condition of perfect freedom and equality bounded only by Law of Nature ( Hobbes)
When someone tries to exert absolute power, when someone violates another’s life of freedom state of war, not natural but consequence of violation
of Law of Nature ( Hobbes: state of war = natural)
Purpose of state is to preserve natural rights (life, liberty, property), not to dominate subjects.
Relevant for evolution of thinking from absolutism to social contract.
The individual has power over his own natural rights and private property, but transfers this absolute power to civil governments under certain
conditions.
Civil governments don’t have absolute power, sovereignty remains in the hands of the individuals.
Enjoyment of life, liberty, property is not secured in state of nature men institute government to protect and preserve natural rights.
Men confer to government the right to interpret the natural law and to promulgate corresponding civil laws.
Supreme power need to respect natural rights, because they are from the individual resistance to civil government is justified in case it doesn’t
respect it
We only give up ‘the interpretation of the Law of Nature’ to the government, but we always keep our natural rights!
Men cannot transfer more power to the government than what they have cannot install absolute monarch
Montesquie Politiek moet rekening met menselijke zwakheid.
u Mensen worden gestuurd door passies, gedrag hangt af van instellingen en context.
Scheiding der machten!
Geen universele mens, maar contextuele politiek.
First to put sovereignty in the hands of individuals.
Rousseau Mens is van nature goed, maar wordt bedorven door samenleving. ‘Man is born free, and everywhere he is in chains’
Nood aan herstelde vrijheid via algemene wil, door collectieve zelfwetgeving.
Ongelijkheid is sociaal, niet natuurlijk.
People’s sovereignty and social contract as a remedy to correct the corrupt society.
Social contract:
- People alienate their natural liberty to sovereign only if it is made from the people and it rules to implement the general will
- People hold legislative power (as sovereign) and are subjected to the laws (as subjects)
- Law is expression of general will
Mainstream conceptualization of features of modern government:
- Population = autonomous persons
- Belief in rationality of government
- State as distinctive institutional structure independent of rulers
Fiction!!
Government does not operate solely through shared values, it requires producing and shaping capacities of individuals.
Traditional self-description of pol theory as a discipline that offers authoritative normative advice to those who govern, rests on assumptions about:
- Unity of pol decision-making
- Nature of citizens
- Role of values in governvance
- Coherence of the ‘public interest’
= pol theory is built on fictional foundations
Aristotle De mens is van nature politiek (zoon politikon) mensen hebben rede + taal = moreel oordelen, kunnen niet volledig mens zijn buiten polis,
samenleven is natuurlijk
Staat is natuurlijk, niet uit angst of contract doel van de staat = het goede leven (eudaimonia)
‘Some individuals are slave by nature, because they lack the intellectual capacity of self rule.’ Hiërarchie als natuurlijk.
Political belonging is intrinsic to human flourishing.
State (polis) = only setting in which human beings can live a life appropriate to them
Everything in the universe has a telos peculiar to itself. When a thing is good, it has achieved its telos
Telos of human being = eudaimonia, life-long state of active ethical well-being
Dynamis of human being = reason it is only virtue if we use our reason well.
Next to moral virtues, there are intellectual virtues: Sophia en Phronesis.
Everyday happiness is achieved through phronesis. doctrine of the mean: always find a middle ground to be ethical, virtue as the middle way
between two extremes
The supreme good: live a happy life characterized by the accomplishment of virtue.
All form of human association is natural: household, village, polis polis is most completely natural community, based on shared values
Polis provides conditions for moral virtue. goal of polis: encourage virtuous life by its institution + goal of human: live a virtuous life, and therefore a
happy life
Polis is a ‘natural’ community: meets all moral and material needs.
Circularity between individual’s and city’s telos: with more virtuous citizens, the city will be more virtuous, and thus better realize its own telos (=
provide social and pol institutions in which citizens can have happy and virtuous life.
Circle of creation: citizens are made by polis (education, socialization), citizens make polis and institutions (change them in order to encourage virtue).
Stable political system: good balance of few and many + no exclusion monarchy, aristocracy, polity
Stable system: power rests with large ‘middle class’.
Good political system: rule for the common good bad institutions secure good of a part, good institutions secure good of all.
Polity = rule by many for common good democracy = rule by many for the good of those many (poor)
Moral goodness or virtue is key to good and quality ruling.
‘ideal’ (good + stable) regime? Virtuous citizens and strong ‘middle class’
BUT Aristotle excludes many people of his definition of citizens, political equality is limited
Moderation, civic virtue, avoidance of luxury to preserve equality and prevent corruption.
Hobbes Zonder overheid leven mensen in oorlog.
, Mensen zijn rationeel, zelfzuchtig, gelijk in kwetsbaarheid en verlangen naar macht en veiligheid
Natuurtoestand zonder wetten en autoriteit levert permanente onzekerheid. Competitive individuals driven by desires and fear. War of everyone against
everyone.
Mensen sluiten sociaal contract waarbij ze macht overdragen aan soeverein absolute autoriteit is gerechtvaardigd
Politiek is kunstmatige oplossing voor natuurlijke chaos.
Every man has a natural right to self-preservation state of war
Solution: Leviathan abandon natural right to defend oneself at the condition that others do the same for people’s safety and peace
It is rational for individuals to institute the Leviathan
Leviathan is 2nd best option to organize a state, best option is natural state, but doesn’t work
Horizontal contract between people (= subjects), not with the sovereign
Leviathan’s sovereignty means: absolute decision, enforces law by force, judiciary power, rights depend on his will, BUT power is conditional
Defence of absolute sovereignty, but origin of power lies in the people, they are the source of power.
Locke Natuurtoestand =/= oorlog, maar = onveilig
Mensen zijn redelijk en moreel, bezitten natuurlijke rechten (vrijheid, leven, eigendom) ‘state of nature has a law of nature to govern it’
BUT no impartial judge, no authority to enforce law
Staat is noodzakelijk om rechten te beschermen, maar beperkt. Vrijheid blijft fundamenteel.
State of nature = condition of perfect freedom and equality bounded only by Law of Nature ( Hobbes)
When someone tries to exert absolute power, when someone violates another’s life of freedom state of war, not natural but consequence of violation
of Law of Nature ( Hobbes: state of war = natural)
Purpose of state is to preserve natural rights (life, liberty, property), not to dominate subjects.
Relevant for evolution of thinking from absolutism to social contract.
The individual has power over his own natural rights and private property, but transfers this absolute power to civil governments under certain
conditions.
Civil governments don’t have absolute power, sovereignty remains in the hands of the individuals.
Enjoyment of life, liberty, property is not secured in state of nature men institute government to protect and preserve natural rights.
Men confer to government the right to interpret the natural law and to promulgate corresponding civil laws.
Supreme power need to respect natural rights, because they are from the individual resistance to civil government is justified in case it doesn’t
respect it
We only give up ‘the interpretation of the Law of Nature’ to the government, but we always keep our natural rights!
Men cannot transfer more power to the government than what they have cannot install absolute monarch
Montesquie Politiek moet rekening met menselijke zwakheid.
u Mensen worden gestuurd door passies, gedrag hangt af van instellingen en context.
Scheiding der machten!
Geen universele mens, maar contextuele politiek.
First to put sovereignty in the hands of individuals.
Rousseau Mens is van nature goed, maar wordt bedorven door samenleving. ‘Man is born free, and everywhere he is in chains’
Nood aan herstelde vrijheid via algemene wil, door collectieve zelfwetgeving.
Ongelijkheid is sociaal, niet natuurlijk.
People’s sovereignty and social contract as a remedy to correct the corrupt society.
Social contract:
- People alienate their natural liberty to sovereign only if it is made from the people and it rules to implement the general will
- People hold legislative power (as sovereign) and are subjected to the laws (as subjects)
- Law is expression of general will
