RELIGST 1B06 Lecture Notes - Elite Theory, Robert A. Dahl
11 Apr 2014
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Elite theory: do we have meaningful political equality in modern democratic, can we have meaningful political equality in modern democratic. Historically, society has been divided into two - those who rule and those who are ruled. Elite theory asks the question of why this has been the case and whether this inequality is a necessary part of human societies. To sum: for classical elite theorists, this divide between the two is not something characteristic only of the past, but an inevitability in any society. Why is elite rule an inevitable part of society: natural differences. Certain physiological and psychological characteristics confer a political advantage and thereby lead to elite domination. There may be cases of social/political change. However, the end result is one elite replacing another, rather than the elimination of elite rule as such. A circulation of elites at best: elite rule is not a consequence of natural differences between individuals, but of the intrinsic nature of social organization.
