Political Philosophy PDF

Jessie Boy Tantan Three Branches of Government 1. Executive, (President and about 5,000,000 workers) 2. Legislative (Senate and House of Representatives) and 3. Judicial (Supreme Court and lower Courts) What is political...

Jessie Boy Tantan Three Branches of Government 1. Executive, (President and about 5,000,000 workers) 2. Legislative (Senate and House of Representatives) and 3. Judicial (Supreme Court and lower Courts) What is political philosophy? 1. systematic reflection about the nature and purposes of political life 2. as an investigation into the nature, causes, and effects of good and bad government How, therefore, are political science and political philosophy to be distinguished? Today political science is often said to be “descriptive” or “empirical,” concerned with facts; political philosophy is called “normative” because it expresses values Why do we need political philosophy? 1. that good and bad government profoundly affect the quality of human lives 2. we have a choice to make; and that we can know what distinguishes good government from bad 3. we can trace the effects of different forms of government, and we can learn what qualities go to make up the best form of government (political knowledge). 4. to prepare ourselves to the community that we are in. 5. Politics will be interested in you What is ideology? - “an ideology is a fairly coherent and comprehensive set of ideas that explains and evaluates social conditions, helps people understand their place in society, and provides a program for social and political action” (Ball & Dagger, 2002, p. 5). - ideology is intended to assess the developments that occur in the world. - Ideology assists people in developing their sense of identity or understanding who they are, what their race is, what their social position is, etc. - “prescribing a program for social and political action” - ideology gives people directions concerning what they should do, and how exactly they should do it - as a set of strong ideas that affect people’s way of thinking and acting, encouraging them to have particular social, economical, and political behavior. Capitalism and socialism 1 Jessie Boy Tantan While capitalism and socialism are often presented as opposing economic systems, Capitalism Capitalism is an economic system based on the private ownership of the means of production (i.e., factories, offices, tools & equipment, etc.) and their operation for profit. Central characteristics of capitalism include private property, capital accumulation, wage labor, voluntary exchange, and a price system derived from competitive markets.1 International Monetary Fund. "What Is Capitalism?" In a capitalist economy, decision-making and investments are determined by the owners of capital (i.e., wealth, property, and production capacity), whereas prices and the distribution of goods and services are mainly determined by competition in markets for goods and services. Some of the fundamental principles of capitalism include:  Business owners who control the means of production and hire labor, who are paid wages  Private property rights  Competitive markets  Minimal government intervention in the economy Under capitalism, the prices and production of goods and services are determined by the voluntary interactions of individuals and companies in the marketplace. Capitalists argue this free market mechanism leads to the most efficient allocation of resources.1 What Is Socialism? Socialism is an economic system where the means of production are owned by the society as a whole, meaning the value made by workers belongs to everyone in that society, rather than a group of private owners and investors. It is an economic philosophy based on the principles of shared ownership and cooperation.2 Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy. "Socialism." Production under socialism is meant to directly satisfy economic demands and human needs, rather than indirect satisfaction of needs through making profits and capital accumulation. The essential goal of socialism is to increase equality among members of society. 2 Jessie Boy Tantan Some of the key tenets of socialism include:  Collective or public ownership of major industries and resources  Central planning and regulations to ensure equal distribution of wealth and fair provision of goods  Production for social need rather than profit  Cooperative management of the economy With socialism, the means of production are commonly owned by the community or state on behalf of its citizens. Resource allocation and production are determined through central planning, with the goal of ensuring an equitable distribution of wealth and benefits to all members of society. In addition to capitalism and socialism, the other major school of contemporary economic thought is communism. While there are certain core similarities between socialism and communism, there are also important distinctions between them. Four main functions of ideology 1. Explaining social, political, and economic conditions that people face (Ball & Dagger, 2002) 2. the evaluation of social conditions. 3. as orientation (“orients people so that they can see how they fit into society’ ) 4. Dictating a plan of social and political actions. Four Major POLITICAL IDEOLOGIES 1.Liberalism – the view that an individual needs to have personal freedoms, such as freedom of speech, freedom of views, or freedom of religion, and I also believe that people should be equal regardless of the ethnicity or gender they belong to 5. this ideology has its roots in European philosophical thought of the Age of Enlightenment. 6. fathers of liberalism is an English philosopher John Locke 3 Jessie Boy Tantan 7. He believed that every man had a right to life and freedom, as is stated in his Two Treatises on Government (Locke, 1689/2009). At that time, liberalism emerged to oppose the traditional monarchies and the unlimited rule of kings. Later, in the American Revolution in 1776 and in the French Revolution in 1789, liberalism was the ideology of those who opposed the existing regimes. Those two revolutions had a colossal impact on the future history, and later, liberalism became one of the main ideologies in the modern world (Skinner, 2012). 8. Against communism 9. Liberalism is still quite a dominant ideology in the Western world Twin principles 1. individualism 2. liberty core values 1. Individualism 2. Freedom 3. Toleration 4. Justice 5. Rationalism 6. Pluralist 7. Constitutionalism Critic: liberty is a romantic notion, It is a fiction since we are bound to follow rules We are not free since we are affected in every aspect like socioeconomics Justifies autonomy Kinds of liberalism 1. Classical liberalism Classical liberalism is a political tradition and a branch of liberalism that advocates free market and laissez-faire economics and civil liberties under the rule of law, with special emphasis on individual autonomy, limited government, economic freedom, political freedom and freedom of speech. Classical liberalism, contrary to liberal branches like social liberalism, looks more negatively on social policies, taxation and the state involvement in the lives of individuals, and it advocates deregulation. 2. the welfare liberalism Socialliberalism[a] (German: Sozialliberalismus, Spanish: socioliberalismo, Dutch: Sociaallib eralisme) is a political philosophy and variety of liberalism that endorses social justice, social services, a mixed economy, and the expansion of civil and political rights, as opposed to classical liberalism which supports unregulated laissez-faire capitalism with very few government services. Economically, it is based on the social market economy and views the common good as harmonious with the individual's freedom. Social liberals overlap with social democrats in 4 Jessie Boy Tantan accepting market intervention more than other liberals; its importance is considered auxiliary compared to social democrats. Ideologies that emphasize its economic policy include welfare liberalism, New Deal liberalism and New Democrats in the United States, and Keynesian liberalism. Cultural liberalism is an ideology that highlights its cultural aspects. The world has widely adopted social liberal policies. 2. Anarchism While the idea of negative liberty decries unnecessary government intervention in people’s lives, anarchism literally means “no ruler” or “no government.” The absence of a political authority conjures an image of the state of nature imagined by Thomas Hobbes—that is, a state of chaos. Anarchists, however, believe that disorder comes from government. According to this view, rational individuals mostly desire to live peaceful lives, free of government intervention, and this desire naturally leads them to create societies and institutions built on the principles of self-governance. Critic: community on the past are homogenous Good only in small community Market advocate of new right 3. conservatism Promotes traditional value and practices (preservation of tradition) Themes: 1. tradition organic so0ciety 2. Authority and property Kinds of Conservatism 1. authoritarian Conservatism Authoritarian conservatism refers to autocratic regimes that portray authority as absolute and unquestionable. Authoritarian conservative movements show strong devotion towards religion, tradition, and culture while also expressing fervent nationalism akin to other far-right nationalist movements. Examples of authoritarian conservative dictators include Marshal Philippe Pétain in France, Regent Miklós Horthy in Hungary, General Ioannis Metaxas in Greece, King Alexander I in Yugoslavia, Prime Minister António de Oliveira Salazar in Portugal, Chancellor Engelbert Dollfuss in Austria, Generalissimo Francisco Franco in Spain, and King Carol II in Romania. 5 Jessie Boy Tantan 2. paternalistic Conservatism Paternalistic conservatism is a strand in conservatism which reflects the belief that societies exist and develop organically and that members within them have obligations towards each other. There is particular emphasis on the paternalistic obligation (noblesse oblige) of those who are privileged and wealthy to the poorer parts of society, which is consistent with principles such as duty, organicism, and hierarchy. Its proponents often stress the importance of a social safety net to deal with poverty, supporting limited redistribution of wealth along with government regulation of markets in the interests of both consumers and producers. 3. libertarian Conservatism Liberal conservatism is a variant of conservatism that is strongly influenced by liberal stances. It incorporates the classical liberal view of minimal economic interventionism, meaning that individuals should be free to participate in the market and generate wealth without government interference. However, individuals cannot be thoroughly depended on to act responsibly in other spheres of life; therefore, liberal conservatives believe that a strong state is necessary to ensure law and order, and social institutions are needed to nurture a sense of duty and responsibility to the nation. Originally opposed to capitalism and the industrial revolution, the conservative ideology in many countries adopted economic liberalism, especially in the United States where this ideology is known as fiscal conservatism. Critics: 1. No criteria of what should be conserve and forgotten 2. Change is inevitable 3. Can “laiisez fair” Laissez-faire (/ˌlɛseɪˈfɛər/ LESS-ay-FAIR; or /lɑːˌsɛzˈfɛ.jər/, from French: laissez faire [lɛse fɛːʁ] ⓘ, lit. 'let do') is a type of economic system in which transactions between private groups of people are free from any form of economic interventionism (such as subsidies or regulations). As a system of thought, laissez- faire rests on the following axioms: "the individual is the basic unit in society, i.e., the standard of measurement in social calculus; the individual has a natural right to freedom; and the physical order of nature is a harmonious and self-regulating system." The original phrase was laissez faire, laissez passer, with the second part meaning "let (things) pass". It is generally attributed to Vincent de Gournay. 4.Socialism A society as a source of power and authority and justice (COMMUNBITY) Oppose to capitalism Beings are social creature More on corporation Equality and will abolish class division 6 Jessie Boy Tantan Kinds of Socialism 1. Ethical Socialism Ethical socialism is a political philosophy that appeals to socialism on ethical and moral grounds as opposed to consumeristic, economic, and egoistic grounds. It emphasizes the need for a morally conscious economy based upon the principles of altruism, cooperation, and social justice while opposing possessive individualism. 2. Scientific Socialism Scientific socialism is a term which was coined in 1840 by Pierre-Joseph Proudhon in his book What is Property? to mean a society ruled by a scientific government, i.e., one whose sovereignty rests upon reason, rather than sheer will: Thus, in a given society, the authority of man over man is inversely proportional to the stage of intellectual development which that society has reached; and the probable duration of that authority can be calculated from the more or less general desire for a true government, — that is, for a scientific government. And just as the right of force and the right of artifice retreat before the steady advance of justice, and must finally be extinguished in equality, so the sovereignty of the will yields to the sovereignty of the reason, and must at last be lost in scientific socialism. 3. Revolutionary Socialism Revolutionary socialism is a political philosophy, doctrine, and tradition within socialism that stresses the idea that a social revolution is necessary to bring about structural changes in society. More specifically, it is the view that revolution is a necessary precondition for transitioning from a capitalist to a socialist mode of production. Revolution is not necessarily defined as a violent insurrection; it is defined as a seizure of political power by mass movements of the working class so that the state is directly controlled or abolished by the working class as opposed to the capitalist class and its interests. Revolutionary socialists believe such a state of affairs is a precondition for establishing socialism and orthodox Marxists believe it is inevitable but not predetermined. Revolutionary socialism encompasses multiple political and social movements that may define "revolution" differently from one another. These include movements based on orthodox Marxist theory such as De Leonism, impossibilism and Luxemburgism, as well as movements based on Leninism and the theory of vanguardist-led revolution such as the Stalinism, Maoism, Marxism–Leninism and Trotskyism. Revolutionary socialism also includes other Marxist, Marxist-inspired and non-Marxist movements such as those found in democratic socialism, revolutionary syndicalism, anarchism and social democracy. 4. Revisionist Socialism Revisionism, otherwise known as Marxist reformism, represents various ideas, principles, and theories that are based on a reform or revision of Marxism. According to their critics, this 7 Jessie Boy Tantan involves a significant revision of fundamental Marxist theories and premises, and usually involves making an alliance with the bourgeois class. Some academic economists have used revisionism to describe post-Stalinist, Eastern European writers who criticized one- party rule and argued in favour of freedom of the press and of the arts, intra- and sometimes inter-party democracy, independent labor unions, the abolition of bureaucratic privileges, and the subordination of police forces to the judiciary power. In Marxist discourse, revisionism often carries pejorative connotations and the term has been used by many different factions. It is typically applied to others and rarely as a self- description. By extension, Marxists who view themselves as fighting against revisionism have often self-identified as Marxist–Leninist anti-revisionists. Revisionism is most often used as an epithet by those Marxists who believe that such revisions are unwarranted and represent a watering down or abandonment of Marxism—one such common example is the negation of class struggle. Critics: Criticism of socialism is any critique of socialist economics and socialist models of organization and their feasibility, as well as the political and social implications of adopting such a system. Some critiques are not necessarily directed toward socialism as a system but rather toward the socialist movement, parties, or existing states. Some critics consider socialism to be a purely theoretical concept that should be criticized on theoretical grounds, such as in the economic calculation problem and the socialist calculation debate, while others hold that certain historical examples exist and that they can be criticized on practical grounds. Because there are many types of socialism, most critiques are focused on a specific type of socialism, that of the command economy and the experience of Soviet-type economies that may not apply to all forms of socialism as different models of socialism conflict with each other over questions of property ownership, economic coordination and how socialism is to be achieved. Critics of specific models of socialism might be advocates of a different type of socialism. 8 Jessie Boy Tantan What is a Nation? - A nation is a grouping of people defined by shared cultural factors such as language, religion, or history. - is a large group of people with strong bonds of identity - an "imagined community," What Is a State? - a state is an organization that wields centralized legal power over a defined territory. KEY FEATURES OF THE STATE 1. The state is sovereign: it exercises absolute and unrestricted power and stands above all other associations and groups in a society. Inherent power 1. Police power 2. Eminent domain 3. Power to tax 2. State Public institutions are recognizably 'public'in contrast to the 'private' institutions of civil society. Public bodies are responsible for making and enforcing collective decisions, while private bodies (families, private businesses and trade unions) exist to satisfy individual interests. 3. The state is an exercise in legitimation: the decisions of the state are usually accepted as binding on members of society as they are made in the public interest 4. The state is an instrument of domination: state authority is backed up by coercion, the state has the capacity to ensure that its laws are obeyed and that transgressors are punished. 5. The state is a territorial association: the jurisdiction of the state is geographically defined, and it encompasses all those who live within the state's borders. 9 Jessie Boy Tantan Types of state The minimal state - The minimal stateis the ideal of classical liberals and is rooted in the social-contract theory. Individuals should enjoy the widest possible realm of freedom and the state is merely a protective body to provide a framework of peace and social order within which citizens can conduct their lives as they think best. The state acts as a nightwatchman (Locke) whose services is only called upon when orderly existence is threatened. They state has three core functions: to maintain domestic order, to ensure that contracts or voluntary agreements made between private citizens are enforced, and to provide protection against external attacks (Heywood, 2019:67). The developmental state - developmental stateintervenes in economic life with the purpose of promoting industrial growth and economic development. In countries such as Austria and Germany, economic development has been achieved through the construction of a 'partnership state' where emphasis is placed on the maintenance of a close relationship between the state and major economic interests (big business and organized labour). Economic globalization has fostered the emergence of 'competition states' which can be found amongst the tiger economies of East Asia. Competition states recognize the need to strengthen education and training as the principal guarantee of economic success in a context of intensifying transnational competition (Heywood, 2019: 68-69) The social – democratic state - social- democratic statesintervene to bring about broader social restructuring, in accordance with the principles of fairness, equality and social justice. It helps to rectify the imbalances and injustices of a market economy and focuses on the equitable distribution of wealth. It thus attempts to eradicate poverty and reduce social inequality. The twin features of a social-democratic state are Keynesianism (to manage capitalism with a view to promote growth and maintain full employment) and social welfare (the promotion of social well- being amongst citizens) (Heywood, 2019:69). The collectivized state - Collectivized states bring the entirety of economic life under state control. Examples of such states were in orthodox communist countries such as the USSR and throughout Eastern Europe. Private enterprise was abolished, and centrally planned economies were set up and controlled by the highest organs of the communist party (Heywood, 2019:71). The totalitarian state 10. The most extreme and extensive form of interventionism is found in totalitarian states. This state brings not only the economy, but also education, culture, religion, and family life under direct state control. The classic examples of totalitarian states are Hitler's 10 Jessie Boy Tantan Germany and Stalin's USSR, although modern regimes such as North Korea have similar characteristics. The central pillars of such regimes are surveillance, terrorist policing, and ideological manipulation and control. Totalitarian states effectively extinguish civil society and abolish the 'private' sphere of life altogether (Heywood, 2019:71). SOURCE: StudyCorgi. (2022, January 7). “Ideology and Ideologies” Chapter, Ball and Dagger. https://studycorgi.com/ideology-and-ideologies-chapter-ball-and-dagger/ https://archive.globalpolicy.org/nations/nation/index.htm https://www.coursesidekick.com/political-science/3470960 11