POLS 110 Lecture Notes - Lecture 3: Amartya Sen, Robert Reich

• School: Queen's University
• Department: Political Studies
• Course: POLS 110
• Professor: Oded Haklai

Document Summary

There is an ongoing debate regarding democracy; more specifically is democracy at risk of becoming obsolete or, if it is in fact something that is valued by society as a whole. Amartya sen are on opposite sides of this debate; reich believes that democracy is at risk because of (cid:272)apitalis(cid:373), (cid:449)hereas e(cid:374) (cid:271)elie(cid:448)es that de(cid:373)o(cid:272)ra(cid:272)y is a (cid:862)u(cid:374)i(cid:448)ersal (cid:448)alue(cid:863) that so(cid:272)iety appre(cid:272)iates. Sen first (cid:271)ri(cid:374)gs up the poi(cid:374)t that (cid:862)the idea of de(cid:373)o(cid:272)ra(cid:272)y origi(cid:374)ated, of (cid:272)ourse, i(cid:374) a(cid:374)(cid:272)ie(cid:374)t. Gree(cid:272)e, (cid:373)ore tha(cid:374) t(cid:449)o (cid:373)ille(cid:374)(cid:374)ia ago. (cid:863) (cid:894) e(cid:374)(cid:895). This is important to point out because it shows the change in attitude that took place regarding the political process and how it should include everyone which is something that democracy is supposed to strive for. This is (cid:271)e(cid:272)ause de(cid:373)o(cid:272)ra(cid:272)y is prote(cid:272)ti(cid:448)e of (cid:272)itize(cid:374)s, (cid:373)ea(cid:374)i(cid:374)g de(cid:373)o(cid:272)rati(cid:272) so(cid:272)ieties ge(cid:374)erally ensure that there are systems in place to take citizens" well-being into account.