POLS 2100 Lecture Notes - Lecture 7: Alexis De Tocqueville, Liberal Democracy, Political Correctness

• School: University of Guelph
• Department: Political Science
• Course: POLS 2100
• Professor: Ian Spears

Document Summary

De(cid:373)o(cid:272)ra(cid:272)(cid:455) assu(cid:373)es that the people are (cid:272)apa(cid:271)le of ruli(cid:374)g the(cid:373)sel(cid:448)es. It is defi(cid:374)ed (cid:271)(cid:455) o(cid:859)neil as follo(cid:449)s: (cid:862)politi(cid:272)al po(cid:449)er exercised either directly or indirectly through participation, competition, a(cid:374)d li(cid:271)ert(cid:455). (cid:863) Should democracy be idealized? (cid:862)the (cid:449)ord de(cid:373)o(cid:272)ra(cid:272)(cid:455) has a(cid:374) i(cid:374)here(cid:374)tl(cid:455) positive connotation for many people: things that are (cid:858)de(cid:373)o(cid:272)rati(cid:272)(cid:859) are good; thi(cid:374)gs that are (cid:858)u(cid:374)de(cid:373)o(cid:272)rati(cid:272)(cid:859) are (cid:271)ad. (cid:863) (cid:894)o(cid:859)neil, p. (cid:1005)(cid:1006)8(cid:895) People assume democracy, consultation with the people, is a good thing. It is politically incorrect to regard anything other than democracy as acceptable. (cid:862)this (cid:271)ook does (cid:374)ot (cid:272)lai(cid:373) that parti(cid:272)ular ki(cid:374)d of de(cid:373)o(cid:272)ra(cid:272)(cid:455), or e(cid:448)e(cid:374) de(cid:373)o(cid:272)ra(cid:272)(cid:455) itself, is the (cid:271)est (cid:449)a(cid:455) to orga(cid:374)ize politi(cid:272)s. (cid:863) o(cid:859)neil. De(cid:373)o(cid:272)ra(cid:272)(cid:455) is (cid:373)erel(cid:455) a(cid:374)other (cid:449)a(cid:455) to orga(cid:374)ize politi(cid:272)s, o(cid:859)neil thi(cid:374)ks. Theocrats argue that democracy is bad because only god can or should rule humans. Some members of the israeli knesset believe that the country should be run as a theocracy. Marxists claim liberal democracy is really bourgeois democracy.