POLI 201 Chapter Notes - Chapter 3: Jean Bodin, Ultimate Power, Jus Sanguinis
2 Feb 2017
School
Department
Course
Professor
Document Summary
Sovereign, derived from the latin word super, literally refers to one who is superior. Sovereignty was first used by french author jean bodin in the 16th century. Bodin wrote that in every community, there should be a single top authority who is not subject to any other. Bodin wanted to revive the concept of a single highest authority in a time where feudal lords did not answer to their monarch. In the 18th century, the french philosopher jean-jacques rousseau proposed popular sovereignty. Popular sovereignty is the concept that the supreme power in a community rests with the people themselves and was not delegated. Rousseau believed that the people who lived in communities ruled by parliamentary sovereignty lived under the delusion of freedom, for they were only truly free when they elected their representatives. Rousseau"s concept of popular sovereignty is highly implausible in anything except a small community, so his definition has been modified.
