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Samenvatting - Political Thought
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Samenvatting - Political Thought Prof: Eric Fabri - Universiteit Antwerpen
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POLITICAL THOUGHTHOOFDSTUK 1: Democracy and equality
1.1 How to define democracy?
Democracy, which derives from the Greek word demos, or people, is defined, basically, as government in which
the supreme power is vested in the people. In some forms, democracy can be exercised directly by the people;
in large societies, it is by the people through their elected agents.
- There is not only one group making the decisions for everyone.
- The idea of representation for each of these groups
- The idea of participation in decision making
- Freedom of opinion and expression
Abraham Lincoln famous definition: “government of the people, for the people, and by the people. “
Problem: There are multiple questions left:
- Who is the demos?
- How does he use his authority?
- Over who? The non-citizens? The non-humans? Children?
- Why is he sovereign?
- Is it a good form of government?
- Can the majority impose its rule to minorities?
Democracy as Sovereign Will?
Democracy is a regime in which the people decide of their laws (direct, indirect or referendum).
Question: are there things that the sovereign people cannot do?
- Is there an “antidemocratic” use of democratic power?
Democracy and Human Rights
Solution: add the guarantee of human rights and basic liberties.
- Another sense of the idea of people sovereignty: there is no authority superior to the people who can
veto one of his decisions
It is not enough to have rights and liberties; the idea of democracy also calls for a form of popular sovereignty.
Provisional definition
Sovereign Power vested in the people + Individual liberties and Human Rights.
Accurate definition
Observation of actual regimes: Actual democracies are not necessarily labelled with the term.
Authoritarian regimes call themselves democratic.
Democracy as a contested concept:
- Representative or indirect democracy
- Particratic democracy
- Deliberative Democracy
- Participatory Democracy
- Direct Democracy
- Open Democracy
1.2 Inequality
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,Economic inequalities
Why is inequality a problem? Is inequality a condition for democracy?
- We always think of income equality. The top 1% has a quarter of the income.
- Capital – Thomas Piketty
- Not everyone is born equally, some are born really wealthy.
Inequality and Private Property
Why should we tolerate inequality?
Basic idea: if it is my private property, I can do whatever I want with it, and nobody can take it. Especially not
the government.
Merrit vs. Luck
- To more you own, the more you improve, the more you weigh.
- Wealth is a part of luck. Luck is one of the components.
Rights:
- Rights to have rights
- Right to defend your rights
Inequality is a problem for democracy Why?
- The conversion of wealth in political power. (political inequality)
“In the United States, our findings indicate, the majority does not rule—at least not in the causal sense of
actually determining policy outcomes. When a majority of citizens disagrees with economic elites or with
organized interests, they generally lose. Moreover, because of the strong status quo bias built into the U.S.
political system, even when fairly large majorities of Americans favour policy change, they generally do not get
it.”
Why should we tolerate inequality?
- Some people work harder than others.
1.2 Athens’ golden age
Democratic institutions: Athens
Started a war with Sicilia and won.
Cosmology cosmos is going out of chaos. The Greek gods do not give laws, they have to find it themselves.
Question: why did the Athenians invented democracy?
A particular social-historical imaginary: poetry, religion, language, cosmology
- A triple joint birth: philosophy, politics, democracy (Castoriadis)
Athens’ institutions: the origins
- Source: Aristotle
- Draco (7th century bce)
Draco first law giver of Athens Write the law. Aristocrats owned almost all the land.
- Solon (640-558 bce) and the conflict between the eupatrides and the demos. Cancels all debts and
abolishes enslavement for debts.
- Peisistratos: the « good » tyrant from 535 to 528 bce.
- Cleisthenes’ reforms: 507 bce. Isonomia and isegoria. Balance the power between demos and tyrant
democracy.
Giving power to the people, always someone wants to take it for its own tyranny.
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, 1.3 Democratic institutions in Athens
Each tribe is made of 3 different entities, regions, 30 trityes known.
- Create 10 tribes.
- Each tribe is composed by 3 districts (city, hill, coast).
- The tribe develops its home identity
The Boulè (council of 500): 50/tribe, turns each pritany.
- Prepares the work for the ekklesia. Roughly the permanent
central administration.
The Ekklesia: 6000/40-60.000 citizens.
- Supreme power.
- Regular + exceptional meetings.
- Ostracism (Public vote to ban someone from the city).
- Public vote.
- Participating was fluctuating, idea was every citizen could come.
Ostracism once a year special session where everybody had the right to wright the name of someone.
Majority of the same name, person was ostracized, banned from the city for 10 years.
Various courts and tribunals:
- The aeropagus : elected body, among wealthiest citizen, but less and less power
- The helaia : 5000 helaiasts + 1000. Juries for courts.
- Tribunals of 501 citizens, like the one who judged Socrates
Jury made of citizens in the most important cases everyone is capable to judge.
1.3.1 Noticeable characteristics:
Check and balance between the institutions
You have the right to speak on the assembly, but only what is on the agenda set by the Boulè. If you want to
pass a law you have to go to the Boulè to set the law at the agenda. The vote will be voted by the assembly.
Once a law is voted, you can recall it to modify the law.
Democracy at different levels: direct participation and sortition vs election
- Participation in the Ekklesia
- Sortition (it means that everybody can participate at some part)
Political art
- Don’t want to elect everybody specific. Needed some elections.
- Have to select the better so it is not democratic because you have to vote for a specific group.
Selected the better for the function.
- Appreciation of justice
-
½ chance to become a ruler at some point
- As a citizen you had ½ chance to go to the Boulè.
- As an Athens citizen you had a high chance
Isegoria and isonomia
Isos = of the same.
Isonomia = the same law for every citizen. One law that applies to all citizens.
Isegoria = every citizen has the same right to speak to/ stand in front of the assembly and to make his voice
heard.
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, The relation between the laws and the people: citizen-soldiers
- Vote to declare war. If you want to vote for a war, you have to make it. Since you are directly involved
by the law, it is your law. Directly participated. It creates a relation between the law. Law is the will of
the people. Not the state vs the people.
- If someone is breaking your law, you say it. Breaking something that is important for you as a citizen.
- Important for the Civil World War II. Germany was not your law so you go against it.
Pericles and the importance of generals
- High-rankings, elected by the people.
- Pericles was the best example of that because he was a general, he was elected.
- He was a very important figure in Athens.
- He had power, admired by everybody. His voice had more waive than any other citizen, his voice was
important for the laws.
1.3.2 Critics
Slavery
- Greek wasn’t perfect in democracy
- A city of between 250.000 - 350.000 people, only 60.000 citizens.
- Most people in the city were slaves. City works because the citizens were able to go to the assembly
because the slaves work for them. You need slaves to do the necessities.
The exclusion of women and strangers
- Strangers (related to the Greek conception of the wall)
- We are the Greeks, civilized people and strangers are barbarians. The strangers had no right to
become a citizen. There was a procedure but you had to be improved by the whole assembly on who
you are.
A real equality? Equal ability to participate and to speak
- With 60.000 people not everybody can speak or has the ability to convince in the same way.
- Aristocrats were able to speak well, trained.
Based on an imperial domination and exploitation of silver?
- Athens was an empire, commercial relations with cities.
- Athens holds the power.
- Athens democracy works well, but can it work outside the empire?
1.4 The end of Democracy in Athens
Democratic Drama
- War between Athens and Sparta.
- Holds for 5 years.
- End of the golden age of Athens.
New Regime: the thirty Tyrants (8 months)
- General amnesty and restauration of Democracy
404: Alexander the Great conquest of the Greeks.
Athens After 404:
- Fallen empire but cultural hegemony
- Economic crisis
- New and important century.
- Athens is not the same Athens. It has lost supremacy on the amnesty.
New rise? But something is lost
- Hegemony imaginary is lost people can do what they want.
- End of democracy is related to the rise of huge inequality.
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