Political Theory

Political theories
- Do the best they can in framing necessary assumptions to make
them realistic, which results to better society.
- Change the form of government.
Political Authority and Obligation
- To have power over someone
- To have at one’s disposal the means to make that person do.
- Obeyed because of virtue of their issuing from the authority.
2 Premises:
1. Normative Premise
- Duty not to let the society collapse into chaos.
2. Descriptive Premise
- If we don’t follow the laws, the society will collapse.
Consent Theory
- Contract between state and people
 TACIT Consent – secret approval or connivance
1. Express / explicit / active
- Announce in speech or writing
2. Implicit / passive
- More subtle, no express announcement
3 Dimensions of Political Theory
1. Personal / Interpersonal Relationships
- Key question :
 How should we divide the benefits and burdens of cooperative
activities?
 Who should get the spoils and who should pay the cost?
 How may we defend ourselves from one another?
 What penalties can be imposed on who violate the law?
 How should we treat the dependents?
2. State-personal
- Government, Citizens
- Key Question :
 Why individuals should accept the political authority of the
state?
 How those with will power come to do so?
  How we all consented the power that existed over us?
 May it require us to serve --- military.
3. Global Relations
- Key Question :
 Should these principles be extended to apply to other states?
 How may a state act towards?

Normative Thinking
- In terms of how the person, society, world ought to be.
- “what is ideal”
- How people interact, the sorts of laws we ought to pass.
- Claim: Political Theory does not connect with the real world
and is of practical use.
Ex: Utopia
Descriptive Thinking
- It aims to present a picture of how a person, the society,
world actually are.
Re-troduction
Positivist