POLS 1101 Lecture Notes - Lecture 1: Liberal Democracy, Social Contract, Direct Democracy
16 Aug 2016
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To provide a form of order and leadership to protect against anarchy and the survival of the ttest" mentality. Our founding fathers/ framers determined that a governmental system is responsible for balancing liberty and order. Order: how individuals live in harmony; held accountable to laws in order to not infringe on others" liberties and well-being. Drawing from british philosophers thomas hobbes and john locke, framers say the relationship between government and citizens constitutes a social contract. Hobbes" state of nature: a land without laws is not successful; did not believe in property. Locke says the right to life, liberty, and property are natural rights. Government agrees to protect unalienable rights, if individuals agree to forma a government and to live by its rules. Social contract is a tradeoff: protection of natural rights (liberty) for obedience to the law of the land (order).
