POLI 100 Intro to Poli Sci
explain Locke’s social contract
In the state of nature, we are free and equal, no one has authority over anyone else without consent. But in the case state of war, we need political authority. We also have the right to revolt if our rights are being violated. The social contract states the government exists to protect human rights and promote good of society, similarly, egalitarianism ensures everyone is equal and given equal opportunities.
This rule ensures that no province has fewer MPs than it did at a specified time in history.
What is the Grandfather Clause?
A procedure for determining the value a variable takes for specific cases based on observation
What is a measure?
The polis is the highest form of community, enabling humans to achieve the good life through virtuous living. Aristotle argues humans are "political animals" because they possess speech and reason, which naturally lead them to form communities to pursue justice and collective flourishing.
What does Aristotle mean by the term "polis," and why does he argue that humans are "political animals"?
What are the 4 criteria for scientific evidence?
Power is exercised by shaping the beliefs and actions of powerless groups, making them internalize their subordination.
What is Gaventa's third dimension of power?
The form of party expectation in the House of Commons requires MPs to vote as directed by their party leader.
What is party discipline?
value observed - true value =/= 0
What is measurement error?
What are the two primary classes in capitalist society, according to Marx?
The bourgeoisie (owners of production) and the proletariat (working class)
The separation of workers from the products of their work, leading to a lack of satisfaction and identity, as well as a sense of coercion and exploitation.
What is "alienated labour" in Marx's theory?
This test help the court to determine whether or not the government is justified in infringing one's charter right. It is related to Section 1 "resonable limits" clause of the Charter.
What is the Oakes Test?
1. Claims that state what goal or ideal is 'right' or 'good' 2. Claim that asserts how things ought to be, what actions should be taken 3. Claim about what is/exists or how things that exist affect each other based on empirical evidence 4. Claims about how one phenomenon affects another phenomenon 5. Claims about what exists in the world
What is
1. Value Judgements
2. Prescriptive claims
3. empirical claims
4. causal claims
5. descriptive claims
What form of government does Aristotle consider the most stable and practicable?
Polity, a mixed government blending elements of democracy and oligarchy (The polis is the highest form of community, enabling humans to achieve the good life through virtuous living)
1. Look to see if there is evidence that the claim is right
2. look to see if there is evidence that the claim is wrong
What is 1. verification and 2. falsification?
Mill's principle of liberty asserts that individuals should be free to act as they wish, provided their actions do not harm others (the "harm principle").
What is the principle of liberty proposed by John Stuart Mill?
What are reference cases
Special: What are the 4 levels of measurement and provide examples.
Nominal, e.g. name, religion, types of crimes
Ordinal, e.g. university ranking, ideology (very, somewhat, neither, somewhat, vary)
Interval, e.g. years, age, no 0
Ratio: counts of events, 0, number of gun deaths, proportion
Kant defines enlightenment as humanity's emergence from self-imposed immaturity, achieved through reason and autonomy.
What does Kant mean by "enlightenment"?
In The Communist Manifesto, what does Marx mean by the statement, "The history of all hitherto existing societies is the history of class struggles"?
Marx argues that all societies have been defined by conflicts between oppressors (e.g., aristocrats, capitalists) and the oppressed (e.g., serfs, workers), with these struggles driving social and economic change.
What are Dahl’s five criteria for democracy?
Effective participation, voting equality, enlightened understanding, control of the agenda, and inclusion
Special: Name and elaborate all 3 principles of cabinet government
Collective Responsibility: The cabinet as a whole is responsible for government decisions
Cabinet Solidarity: All ministers must publicly support government decisions
Ministerial Responsibility: Ministers are accountable for the activities of their own department
Errors would cancel out if we repeated the sampling procedure
When will Random Sampling Error be cancelled out?
Locke argues that government loses legitimacy if it violates natural rights (life, liberty, property). Citizens are justified in dissolving it when it becomes tyrannical or fails to serve the public good.
What is Locke's argument for the dissolution of government, and under what conditions does he believe it is justified?
How does Machiavelli's concept of fortuna shape his advice to rulers in The Prince?
Fortuna (fortune) represents unpredictable external forces. Machiavelli advises rulers to master fortuna through adaptability and bold action, shaping events rather than passively reacting to them.