Write an essay that explores what it is that is distinctively 'modern' about John Stuart Mills, 'On Liberty.'
Andrew Murphy Write and essay that explores what it is that is distinctively 'modern' about John Stuart Mills, 'On Liberty.' There are a variety of problems that arise from the concept Modernity and the text of On Liberty. Although some of the concepts proposed by Mill may appear to be modern on the surface there are also liberal undercurrents that may run counter to the modernity argument. John Stuart Mill is very keen to promote the liberal ambivalence to the concept of modernity. This causes problems when attempting to assess what it is that is distinctively modern about, 'On Liberty,' and how this clashes with liberal concepts. Mill challenges some of the major issues of modernity such as the growth of mass society and the scope for tyranny of the majority, the problem of authority and who rules and also the problems of plurality and diversity. In assessing what is modern about, 'On Liberty,' key issues have to be addressed such as views on government, society, the economy and individual autonomy. The essence of liberal thought is the notion of individual liberty, which is linked to the lack of authority of government in society. Various issues are raised in relation to contractual obligation, tyranny of the majority, the legitimacy of democracy as a governing concept and the remit of government as an authoritative institution. In exploring the concepts that are
Deepening and widening in the EU
In the first decades of the European integration process, phases of deepening alternated with phases of enlarging the community/ Union. For example prior to the entry in 1973 of Ireland, the United Kingdom and Denmark, Europe embarked on a deepening process which included the creation of the European Coal and Steal Exchange, European Economic Community and Euro atom (1952). The EEC had great success in deepening the integration process and on May 12th 1960 the Council of Ministers agreed to accelerate the process on the removal of internal barriers to trade and the erection of a common external tariff, and on the creation of a Common Agricultural Policy (CAP). (Bache, I, Politics in the European Union, 2006) However, the nature of this alternating cycle of deepening integration followed by a widening of the Union (occurring in set phases) has changed considerably since the 1990's. This has been particularly noticeable in the last decade, where the intervals between deepening and enlargement activities have been substantially reduced. 'The year 2004 witnessed a culmination of that development with the Eastern Enlargement and the treaty establishing a Constitution for Europe (TEC). Deepening and widening appear to go hand in hand now...' (Aherns, J et al, Deepening Integration in an Enlarged EU: A Club-theoretical Perspective, European Integration Vol. 27 No.4, 2005) This
Distinguish between and give brief examples of, the exercise of Power, Authority and Legitimacy.
Distinguish between and give brief examples of, the exercise of Power, Authority and Legitimacy. Power, in its broadest sense, is the ability to achieve a desired outcome, and it is sometimes referred to in terms of the 'power to' do something. (Heywood, 2002:7). Power is often seen as the capacity to influence others behaviour, thus to get others to do what someone or something wants them to do. Politics is, in fact, power which Heywood describes as "the ability to achieve a desired outcome, through whatever means." (Heywood, 2002:10) One of the most famous theories is that there are different dimensions of power. This theory was termed by Stephen Lukes in 1974 as the three 'faces' of power. The first dimension is related to power as decision-making. This face of power consists of conscious actions that in some way influence the content of decisions. (Heywood, 2002:11). This first form of power is associated with the work of Robert Dahl; he made judgments about who had power by analyzing decisions in the light of the known preferences of those involved. Therefore this first dimension of power is the ability to make and implement decisions. The second face of power is underlined as the result of Bachrach and Baratz critique of Dahl's concept of power as decision-making. This face as suggested by Bachrach and Baratz is the ability to prevent decisions being made. This
Distinguish between ‘Power and authority’.
Distinguish between 'Power and authority'. We tend to assume that politics is associated with power and authority, which is partly true. However, these terms are often confused. Power is the ability for an individual or a body has to make others do something, and authority is the right to exercise the power. For example, in a representative democracy there are three states legislative, judiciary and the executive, the executive have the power to make the judiciary enforce the law and only the judiciary can pass the laws not the executive. In everyday life Power and authority is sometimes used by the threat of unpleasant consequences e.g. physical or economic but also through the offer for rewards. For example: * A man with a gun orders you to accompany him. You comply. * A policeman orders you to accompany him. You comply. The outcomes are the same but the nature of the relationship with the person giving the orders is different. In the event with the gunman he or she was able to get he or she's way through your fear of what would happen if you did not comply. However, the police officer has the control and you almost certainly have to obey him or her because you accepted his or her right to order you, unlike the scenario with the gunman, he or she has the power because he or she is in control and could shoot you but has no authority. In this case the gunman has the
Which is more democratic, the American or the British Constitution?
UID 8008360 Wordcount : 1515 Which is more democratic, the British or the American constitution ? The Universal Declaration of Human Rights written in the aftermath of the Second World War in 1948 states in its preamble that it is "essential, if man is not to be compelled to have recourse, as a last resort, to rebellion against tyranny and oppression, that human rights should be protected by the rule of law ". Constitution in its broader definition, that is the laws and principles structuring the powers of government and the rights of citizens, was created to ensure that protection by the "rule of law". Whether we can say that a constitution is democratic or not depends fully on what we call democracy, be it the process by which people are represented by their government or the fact that people have guaranteed rights, which are protected by the state. In this essay I will focus on both definitions of what we refer to as democratic. I will firstly compare and contrast the British and American ways to separate powers within their political system to then focus on their electoral system and how it aims at representing people's will in different ways. My third point will be to consider whether the entrenchment of a constitution makes it more or less democratic. I will then conclude by looking at a constitution's capacity to protect human rights and civil liberties in our
Today, there are still certain Native American tribes that are sovereign nations within the United States. The state of being a sovereign nation and political entity within the United States has advantages such as the freedom to choose on how to use the r
Sovereign Nations within the United States Sovereignty is a possession of supreme and absolute authority over a defined geographical region. A political entity, sovereignty, provides the Native American tribes extensive powers of self-government. In the past, the ability of a country to warrant its citizens' rights was viewed as the major factor to consider it a sovereign state. As a result, those states which were not able to satisfy their citizens' interests could not be called sovereign. Currently, state sovereignty can be traced back to 1648 Peace of Westphalia (Biersteker & Weber, 1996, p. 16). It codifies the main principles of sovereignty which includes state supremacy, border inviolability, territorial integrity and lawmaking within a states jurisdiction. Today, there are still certain Native American tribes that are sovereign nations within the United States. The state of being a sovereign nation and political entity within the United States has advantages such as the freedom to choose on how to use the resources within their borders, the amount of tax to pay and the form of government among others. However, such kind of sovereignty challenges the war on transnational terrorism, formulation of sound economic policies and human rights laws that are in line with the international standards. The following illustrates some of the benefits and weaknesses that Native
Has the effort of the Chinese central party-state to reassert control over thought work and to build a socialist spiritual civilization failed?
XBC199Y Mr. Falkenheim Xinlu Xu Apr.15th 2011 The Ideological Building in China Since China entered its reform-era after 1976, scholars from both home and abroad continue to make different judgments on performances of China and the Chinese Communist Party. Scholars who hold negative opinions argue that in opening up to global culture, CCP has sacrificed a large degree of internal control over the recreation of Chinese culture and failed to develop a new ideology. Daniel C. Lynch, in his article named “Dilemmas of ‘Thought Work’ in Fin-de-Siècle China”, directly points out that “the related, positive effort to ‘build a socialist spiritual civilization’ - are failing; and that reasserting control over thought work to the degree expressed as officially desirable will prove impossible.” However, as one important principle of Marxism states that one can neither confirm nor deny everything, the above views seems too incomplete and arbitrary for me to agree with. While we recognize the inevitable problems faced the Chinese government after its implement of the “reform and opening-up policy”, we should also see China’s progress under the lead of CCP. And I believe the ideological building in China’s reform-era has functioned and made several achievements. I’ll develop this essay based on the following interrelated aspects: the control over thought
The US Electoral college, argue for or against
TERM ESSAY PS2254 American Government and Politics Question Argue for or against the electoral college Name: ERICSSEN Matric Number: A0074393Y Tutorial Group: D2, Tuesday, 10-12 pm Lecturer’s Name: Dr Masaki Hidaka Date of Submission: Wednesday, 11 April 2011 Email: [email protected] The 2000 United States (U.S.) presidential election concluded with Vice President Al Gore winning half a million more popular votes than George W. Bush (50,992,335 to 50,455,156) yet losing the White House in the Electoral College by only five votes (271 to 266). It once again raised questions about the validity of the Electoral College as the same scenario has occurred in the 1824, 1876, and 1888 presidential elections.[1] This essay will discuss two problems of the Electoral College: the failure to accurately reflect national popular vote will and the problem of state bias. I argue that the U.S. should abolish the Electoral College and implementthe direct popular election of the president. The Electoral College fails to accurately reflect national popular vote will as it is possible to elect a minority president. As mentioned above, this “incident” has happened four times in history. The Electoral College is fundamentally unfair to voters where voting rights are grounded in the one person, one vote principle.[2] By giving a chance for the Electoral College to elect a
How does interest articulation differ in Statist versus Pluralist systems of government? Consider at least one BRIC (Brazil, Russia, India, China) and one non-BRIC case.
How does interest articulation differ in ‘Statist’ versus ‘Pluralist’ systems of government? Consider at least one BRIC (Brazil, Russia, India, China) and one non-BRIC case. (65) Abstract: In this essay I will discuss the different types of interest groups that are involved in politics and what sort of effect they have in terms of influencing the government. I will focus on interest groups in a ‘statist’ system and then compare that to interest groups in a ‘pluralist’ system. I will argue that it is easier for an interest group within a ‘pluralist’ system to be heard, as there is much more government transparency. However, I will counter this and conclude by claiming that in both systems at the end of the day it comes down to the government deciding what issues it wants to pay attention to. I will provide examples from specific countries to make it clearer. Across the world, interest groups seek to make government pay attention to what they have to say. Many different methods are used, ranging from insider groups to those who aim to disrupt and antagonise, in order to get their voices heard. “Interest group activity…may be seen in large part to reflect the shortcomings of electoral participation as a tool of expression and democratic accountability” (Bara & Pennington 2009: 262). Most people join an interest group for the same reason: disillusion
Comparative Politics:What roles have these divergent attributes of the civil societies of Korea and Taiwan played in their specific evolution of democracy?
Introduction Asia possesses two “third-wave” democracies, in Taiwan and South Korea. Historically and in their democratizations both countries share several attributes. Both experienced a Japanese colonial experience, the economies of both grew rapidly under authoritarian governments and both democratized at similar times. However, Taiwan and South Korea also differ in several important respects. Of these differences, this paper will focus on the role of mass mobilization in the creation of democracy. Taiwanese civil society is acknowledged as stagnant, while Korean civil society is seen as extremely contentious. What roles have these divergent attributes of the civil societies of Korea and Taiwan played in their specific evolution of democracy? The next section of this paper defines what is meant by democratization along with aiding in comprehending the role of mass mobilization in the longer-term process of democratization, and demonstrating how the two variables will be evaluated. The third part portrays a comparative examination between South Korea and Taiwan’s roads to democracy. This section demonstrates the impact of mass mobilization in the short-term and its impact in the longer-term of establishing democratic governance. The last part ends by identifying the effects for the study of comparative democratization. The focus of this paper is to establish that