POLS10003 Lecture Notes - Lecture 4: Joseph De Maistre, Rational Basis Review, Oligarchy
4 Aug 2018
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Document Summary
Authority, unlike power, is a normative question. Attempt to frame political arguments, conservatives tend to go towards what"s pragmatic rejection of ideal figures. Conservatives have a limited perspective on human nature they think of humans as limited . Entails a kind of idea that we"re self regarding and limited in our other moral spheres tendencies to be corrupt, lazy, selfish, etc. Joseph de maistre: no such thing as a general human (very different account of human nature) Humans are deeply unequal in their abilities, natural patterns to our abilities. Skeptical of the modern impulse to base and judge and rethink solely on the basis of what we think is more rational, rethink political life on a rational basis is rejected. There isn"t a way to think ourselves in a superior political life. Defined around idea that all societies are dominated by their elites ruled and rules . Robert michels calls this the iron law of the oligarchy.
