Political Science 1020E Lecture Notes - Lecture 8: Joseph Schumpeter

• School: Western University
• Department: Political Science
• Course: Political Science 1020E
• Professor: Nigmendra Narain

Document Summary

Key features of modern representative democracy: universal rights to vote & stand for office, elected representatives make decisions, elections are free, frequent, and fair, freedom of speech; independent media, freedom of association. Intrinsic reasons (in itself, in favor of democracy) Intrinsic reason #1: freedom as autonomy: auto = self, nomos = law or rule, autonomy = giving laws to oneself, democracy embodies a commitment to freedom or self-rule, democracy = individuals ruling themselves. Rousseau on self-rule: freedom is not the capacity to do what we want. Instead, freedom is obedience to laws we give ourselves. Freedom is self-government: ousseau: (cid:862)the (cid:373)ere i(cid:373)pulse of appetite is sla(cid:448)ery, (cid:449)hile o(cid:271)edie(cid:374)(cid:272)e to a la(cid:449) (cid:449)hi(cid:272)h (cid:449)e pres(cid:272)ri(cid:271)e to oursel(cid:448)es is li(cid:271)erty(cid:863) We can be coerced and free: coercion: we are forced to comply with laws, freedom: in a democracy, laws are self-imposed, o, (cid:272)oer(cid:272)io(cid:374) is (cid:272)o(cid:373)pati(cid:271)le (cid:449)ith freedo(cid:373): (cid:449)e (cid:272)a(cid:374) (cid:271)e (cid:862)for(cid:272)ed to (cid:271)e free(cid:863) (cid:894) ousseau(cid:895)