Section 2 From "analyzing Politics"

Front 1

What does the "Allegory of the Cave" illustrate?

Back 1

Plato's "Allegory of the Cave" illustrates a cave full of humans chained to the ground facing all one direction without the ability to turn around. They have accepted this cave as reality and are content with it. One man breaks free, looks around, looks outside and sees life how it really is (IE, "expanding horizons" maybe). Anxiously he tells the others of his discovery. Instead of acting excited about the new discovery the other cave dwellers kill him because his "truth" is too different from their own reality. It shows the difficulties of truth-seekers to extend the word of the new discoveries and to think "outside the box" -- or, in this case,"cave".

Front 2

Anarchism -- key principles and oppressive institutions according to Goldman, etc.

Back 2

Anarchy: Absence of government, emphasizing by realism in explaining the nonexistence of any overarching governing power in international politics. Misconceptions of anarchism include chaos and disorder. The ideology is that humans are naturally good. Society is able to work together. Government restricts liberty. Anarchism opposes: most government, organized religion, military, courts/prisons, capitalism and soviet-style communism. Government should be small and decentralized. Government only has two functions: to protect the people and to coordinate productive work of society. Rational authority (which is derived of "rational argument") is not rejected and is open to constant criticism and review.

According to Emma Goldman, a Russian native born in 1869: Goldman had high hopes for America and was disillusioned... found herself disappointed with America's long hours and low wages. Therefore she turns to anarchism. Goldman fights for women's rights and against the draft of WWI. She was arrested with charges of: labor unrest; radicalism in Russia; assassination attempt of president McKinley in 1901; protests against the war in 1917; violence, bombing of AG's house 1919 (most of which were not true). Goldman says it is government that makes people corrupt when people say that anarchism is impractical and merely a utopian idea. She is critical of politics and says voting is just a game. State, religion and private property are all oppresive. She was deported back to Russia in 1919.

Front 3

Bourgeoisie and Proletariat

Back 3

The Bourgeoisie are modern capitalists who own the means of production and keep the profits (eg, stockholders in corporations). The Proletariat are those who sell their labor and don't get to keep the profits they help to create (eg, anybody who works).

Front 4

Key ideas of Classical Liberalism

Back 4

The book defines classical liberalism as "liberalism drawing on the teachings of such theorists as John Locke and Adam Smith and emphasizing limited government, capitalism, human rationality, and a wide range of personal liberty beyond the scope of government regulation. The United States are founded on ideas of Classical Liberalism.

Front 5

Communist Manifesto (how/why revolution occurs, what Marx's utopia is like)

Back 5

The Communist Manifesto was published in 1848. Marx was a key writer of the works along with Frederich Engels.

Revolution stages:

Capitalism creates huge factories, workers feel suppressed and try to create legal reforms which fail, new technologies means lower cost for consumers, some capitalists even have to become workers at times, with lower cost comes lower employment, fewer companies survive, class struggle peaks, revolution becomes a "nothing to lose" perspective, in the revolution private property is lost, the revolution is violent, dictatorship will weed out capitalism, there will be a classless society and people can do anything they choose from there.

Front 6

Classical Liberal Conservatism (key principles, how it compares with traditional Liberalism)

Back 6

The Classical Liberal Conservatives are the Republican party in the US today. They have a support for capitalism but remain suspicious of government power. Margaret Thatcher associated with this movement. It developed after WWII after the soviet communism, rise of government welfare, the political protests (eg, civil rights) and the Urban riots (1967-8)

Classical Liberalism teaches that: the individual is more important than the state and becomes a citizen of the state only through consent; the individual is rational and capable of making his or her own decisions; this makes the individual capable of autonomy and self-government; progress is possible in political affairs, so change is not to be feared; state power should be limited; economic inequality is not necessarily bad; economic freedom (individual freedom to make economic choices) is more important that economic equality.

Traditional Conservatism: asserts that because of the profound human tendency toward irrational behavior, humans need guidance and direction from traditional authorities for society to enjoy peace and stability; argues that traditional authorities should pass on long-standing moral teachings through the family, religious institutions, and governmental laws; insists that compliance with traditional morality is more important that individual liberty; in other words, people should not have the freedom to violate moral precepts.

Front 7

Democratic Socialism in Europe

Back 7

Democratic Socialism is a variation on socialism. Socialism and Democracy can work together.

In Europe there is the British Labour Party. Change comes through peaceful democracy-like elections. Dem. governments promote economic and political freedom and equality.

There are socialist political parties in every western democracy except for the US.

Front 8

Differing views on the purpose of government should serve and human nature (Locke, Hobbes)

Back 8

John Locke (1632-1704): Human nature is a "state of nature" (a period of time prior to the creation of governments where humans lived in small groups or communities, where we see the nature of humans without the influence of government). Humans are rational and capable of running their own lives. Rights to life, health, liberty and possessions. There is no "survival of the fittest". People can form a contract by giving up some freedom for the protection of natural rights by government. Government is just help, not "ruling". If government fails, contract is null and void. Citizens of that state have the right of revolution if the state proves to be illegitimate.

Thomas Hobbes (1588-1679): Human nature tends to be aggressive. Government's sole purpose is to provide security -- deterrence. "Might makes right" and the weak are victimized. Pessimistic views on human nature. Author of "Leviathan".

Front 9

Differing Views on Equality: Jefferson, Tecumseh, Chico Mendes, Nietzsche, Vonnegut.

Back 9

Thomas Jefferson: Humans have natural human rights. Governments that don't do this forfeit authority. Humans have right of revolution.

Tecumseh: Whites don't have rights to give away the communal land of his people.

Chico Mendes: Participation for indigenous people. People of forests have a voice to determine what happens to their land. Equality of process as the only way to ensure equality of results.

Nietzsche: Egalitarianism is harmful. Christianity is a "slave morality" because it teaches humility and forgiveness.

Vonnegut: Complete equality is dangerous and the resulting society is boring.

Front 10

Differing views on promoting morality (examples)

Back 10

The New Right:

1. Importance of tradition, religion, morality
2. Suspicious of talk of right
3. Traditional moral values
4. Oppose abortion, homosexuality and sex education
5. Support prayer in schools
6. Women's rights are a myriad of social problems

Pat Buchanan is an example of a New Rights leader.

Front 11

Ecology

Back 11

The study of connections between organisms and the elements that make living possible. Roots begin in the 17th century.

Front 12

Environmentalism (key principles and ecological stewardship, sustainable development)

Back 12

1. Emphasizes preservation of ecosystem health and well-being
2. Calls on women and men to assume obligations to nature
3. Advocates environmental stewardship (humans should be caretakers for nature)
4. Proposes that any use of nature be done in a manner supportive of sustainable development (use of nature only with what we need -- not harmful to nature).
5. Claims that owning natural resources does not imply complete discretion over use of those resources.
6. Rejects the belief that humans are the center of the universe and masters of nature.
7. Suggests that economic value is not the only value to consider when calculating the worth of natural resources.

Front 13

Expansive Liberty

Back 13

A form of liberty promoted by interventionist government when government acts to promote conditions in which human potential can be maximized; advocated by modern liberalism

Front 14

Fascism (key principles)

Back 14

Argues in favor of a totalitarian state that regulates any and all parts of life deemed to be relevant to politics, as determined by state officials.

Asserts that the state is more important than the individual

Rejects the idea that civil institutions should have an important role in limiting the power of states and in criticizing laws of the state.

Affirms that individuals are to gain a sense of purpose by psychologically identifying with a totalistic state and devoting themselves to service to that state.

Rejects the concept of equality.

Advocates nationalism and/or racism.

Front 15

Feminism (liberal, radical, diversity key principles)

Back 15

Feminism: affirms that women should have equality with men and should possess as much autonomy as that enjoyed by men; rejects patriarchy (superiority of men) whenever manifest in intellectual, cultural, religious or political traditions and practices; includes liberal, radical and diversity feminism perspectives.

Liberal feminism shares with liberalism these ides:

1. human equality
2. human rationality
3. importance of individual rights

Mary Wollstonecraft ** key figure.

also Lucretia Mott, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, and Susan B. Anthony. Betty Friedman is a modern liberal feminist.

Radical Feminism:

Social Feminists state that patriarchy and capitalism are both exploitive.

Lesbian feminists criticize society's definition of heterosexuality as normal and all other sexualities are deviant.

Anti-Pornography feminists argue that pornography fosters violence against women. Liberal feminists, in contrast, emphasize 1st amendedment free speech rights.

Diversity feminism specify the needs of non-Anglo, non-Western and non-affluent women. Women's issues change across cultures and across time; no single feminist voice or viewpoint.

Front 16

Feminist movements in the US

Back 16

Three waves:

1st wave: abolition movement in the mid-19th century
2nd wave: suffrage movement late 19th century/early 20th century
3rd wave: equal legal rights and prohibition participation, mid 20th century.

Front 17

Genocide

Back 17

The systematic extermination of a particular group or race.

Front 18

Green Party

Back 18

The Environmentalist Party of the United States that advocates laws for regulating and benefiting nature (in return better benefiting the economy)

Front 19

Holocaust

Back 19

The genocide of of 6 million Jews in Europe

Front 20

Inequality and women (economic, political, educational, access to food/health, violence)

Back 20

On average, women are getting paid .75 cents for every $1 a man makes in the working world.

Women represent the majority of the world's poverty.

Up to 2004, only 23 women have been elected to head of state globally.

2/3 of the world's illiterate adults are women

Females less likely to receive nutrition and are subjected to FGM in some countries.

Femicide is the murder of women because they are women.

Women are subject to rape, assault and domestic violence.

Front 21

Libertarianism

Back 21

A contemporary application of classical liberalism.

"...libertarians favor strict limits on state action. For example, the Libertarian Party of the United States supports the following policies:

- Legalization of drugs
- Legalization of prostitution
- Abolition of congressional subpoena powers
- Prohibition of censorship of books and movies
- Legalization of suicide
- Abolition of the CIA
- Support for abortion rights
- Support for gay rights" (100)

Front 22

Log Cabin Republicans (who they are, what conservatism they reflect)

Back 22

Abbreviated LCR. The LCR support the Lockean/Smithian principles of capitalist economics and small government. They are also gay activists. To the LCR, government has no more business regulating sex lives than it does regulating business. They contributed to Dole's (R) campain in 1996.

Front 23

Madison and Machiavelli (views on government power)

Back 23

Machiavelli believes in a strong central ruler who is amoral but would appear to be moral. Balance between fear and love.

Madison believes in checking powers to prevent tyranny. States should intentionally limit their power. The state should be shut down if it becomes hurtful to the population of the state's citizenry.

Front 24

Ideologies

Back 24

Ideologies are not static or set in stone. They respond to political events, as much as they affect political events.

Classical Liberalism emerged with the enlightenment.

Key figures: John Locke, Adam Smith, de Montesquieu, Rousseau, the framers of the Declaration of Independence and, later, John Stuart Mill.

Front 25

Marxism (key principles, examples)

Back 25

Capitalism is a "stage" on the way to socialism.

1. Slave system gave way to feudal society
2. Feudal economy broke down with growth of manufacturing, towns, navigation and transportation, and emergence of middle class.

Industrial capitalism emerged with two classes: bourgeoisie and proletariat.

Front 26

Marxism (compared to democratic socialism; view of industrial capitalism; compared to Leninism)

Back 26

Views on Social democracy: Social democrats were naïve to think that "enlightened capitalists" would join with workers to form a new society.

Positives of industrial capitalism:
1. Technological advances
2. War less likely
3. Urbanization of open ideas
4. Economic production centralized
5. Leads to perfect condition four socialism

Negatives of Industrial Capitalism:
1. Destroys important values
2. Undermines sense of value in work
3. Relationships based on cash
4. Destroys human freedom/ protects free trade.

Leninism is influenced by Marxism with these differences:

1. Strong Vanguard party of the proletariat that would lead the revolution against capitalism (instead of the people all together)
2. After revolution central (VG) party would manage society in the interest of workers (suppress opposition, manage economy)

Front 27

Mein Kampf (1924) (central point, Hitler's race theory)

Back 27

Written while Hitler spent 9 months in prison due to a failed coup attempt.

The title means "My Struggle". It expounds on Hitler's antisemitism, worship of power, scorn for morality, and plan for world domination.

Front 28

Modern liberalism (key principles, how it compares with classical)

Back 28

Modern liberalism is not fearful of government power. Instead, government power can be a force of good, limiting the worst conditions of poverty, illiteracy, racism, exploitation, etc. The basis of liberal politics (Democrats)

T.H. Green

With modern liberalism, "Mary Smith" is not free.

The key difference is the view on what constitutes a citizen to be "free."

Front 29

Nazism

Back 29

Nationalism taken to extremes. Adolph Hitler is associated with Nazism. Impact of ideology on our lives is not incidental or abstract. This is true of all ideologies but particularly clear in the example of Nazism.

Front 30

Neofascism

Back 30

There are many groups in the world today that still attempt to take on fascist lifestyles, such as the "skinheads."

Front 31

On Liberty (Mill)

Back 31

The only time government should have the ability to intervene on personal life is when we have the potential to harm another.

Front 32

The Republic (Plato)

Back 32

Utopian society, 3 natural groups:

- workers, farmers, shopkeepers, artisans
- military, defenders
- guardians (government, philosopher-king)

Rule by meritocracy

Front 33

Socialism (two key principles and why it developed)

Back 33

Egalitarianism - no classes
Moralism - Peace, social justice and free liberty

Socialism has its roots with Judeo-Christian belief of the common good, which takes precedences over individual desires (the term was coined by Robert Owen)

Liberal political parties in the 19th century failed to meet the needs of the working people.

Front 34

Traditional conservatism (key principles, any agreement with classical liberal conservatives?)

Back 34

Beginning with French Revolution. Conservatives say Enlightenment caused the revolution.

Edmund Burke - British writer, member of parliament in late 18th century. Founder of traditional conservatism.

Front 35

Aldo Leopold

Back 35

U.S. environmentalist (1886-1948) expressed the idea in advocating that humans recognize ethical obligations to nature. (ecological stewardship)

Front 36

Barry Goldwater

Back 36

Republican nominee for presidency in 1964. He was considered so conservative that many mainstream commentators charged him with extremism. He provoked their ire by stating that the genuinely conservative position on abortion is the pro-choice one, and that the genuinely conservative position on gay issues is the pro-gay rights one, etc.

Front 37

B.F. Skinner

Back 37

Utopia possible through behavioral engineering. Noncompetitive
rewards and punishment
freedom is an illusion
danger of becoming a cult

Front 38

Edward Abbey

Back 38

Abbey argues, "we must preserve wilderness areas because we need places where we can experience ourselves and the world in biological, natural terms."

Front 39

John Muir

Back 39

"Many individuals, assuming that the purpose of nature itself is to meet human needs, have perhaps not considered the implications of the fact that many animals can devour humans in minutes and that the natural elements can kill humans just as quickly."

Front 40

T.H. Green

Back 40

Freedom: ability as well or right to do something. Expansive liberty.

Positive vs. negative freedom.

Government responsible for creating the condition for freedom.

Front 41

positive vs. negative freedom

Back 41

Positive freedom: government intervention if necessary.

negative freedom: Bill of Rights