POL201Y1 Lecture Notes - Lecture 16: Liberal Democracy, Classical Liberalism, Public Sphere
Document Summary
Liberal civic education and religious fundamentalism: the case of god v. john rawls. Grew out of the struggle between the parliament and the stuart kings of england in the 17th century. Right to rule wasn"t derived from god but rather the people, who delegated the power to a sovereign. So the story of who has the right to govern changes fundamentally. Rule of law not only applies to the people but also to the sovereign. This establishes the rights of citizens to rise in arms and overthrow the arbitrary rule of a government, to re-establish the rule of law. This is the triumph of legal over regal authority. Power being vested in authority means that people can change who is in power. Four principles of classical liberalism: personal freedom: absence of coercion. Freedom is the right to be left alone, to do what you want to do without interference.
