POLS 237 Lecture Notes - Bourgeoisie, Theocracy
12 Oct 2012
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Document Summary
Ruling or being ruled is part of a certain type of relationship. Hobbes is first political theorist grappling with theory. A liberal begins by ruling out consensus: idea of consent. Legitimate authority only flows from consent from those who are. First articulation of consent. subjected to that authority: consent plays a central role in locke"s political theory, locke"s consent is the only basis in which a government can obtain authority, reasonable rejection. Raises possibility of giving ordinary citizens a veto. Most consent theorists reject actual consent as a requirement of legitimacy, which has a watershed effect of watering down consent, resulting in no social contract, whatsoever. We look for what may be called an overlapping consensus. Framework leads to neutral rights that stop short of advancing religious or other doctrines. By getting rid of the liberal conception of the good life, which is a good and autonomous life, the structure of rights from this view might prove unstable.
