Theories and Origins of

Government

I. Theories of Government
Evolution Theory

A population formed out of primitive

families. The heads of these families
became the government. When
these families settled in one
territory and claimed it as their
own, they became a sovereign state.

Force Theory

An individual or group claimed

control over a territory and forced
the population to submit. In this
way, the state became sovereign,
and those in control formed a
government.

Theories of Government
Divine Right Theory

God created the state, making it

sovereign. The government is made
up of those chosen by God to rule a
certain territory. The population
must obey their ruler.

Social Contract Theory

A population in a given territory

gave up as much power to a
government as needed to promote
the well-being of all. In doing so,
they created a sovereign state.

II. Contributions of the Greeks

Athenian Democracy or Direct Democracy
When: 508 BCE 322 BCE
What: Also called pure democracy
Occurs when the will
of the people translates
directly into public policy
Works only on a small,
local level

Where:

III. Contributions of the Romans

Roman Republic
When: 509 BCE 27 BCE
What:
Classical Republicanism
Civic virtue
Moral education
Small, uniform communities

So, what kind of government do we

have in the U.S. today?

English Origins of
American Government
The Magna Carta (1215)
- King John is forced to
sign by barons
- Included guarantees of
such fundamental
rights as trial by jury
and due process of law
- Protection against
absolute power

English Origins of
American Government
The Petition of Right (1628)
- King Charles I signed, by
force of the Parliament
- Limited kings power
-

May not impose martial law

Can not force quartering
Punish only be laws of the land
Questioned Divine Right

No man should be
compelled to make or
yield any gift, loan,
benevolence, tax, or such
like charge, without

English Government
Parliament Arrives
Parliament was a council of
nobility created to advise the
monarch.
History of hostility between
parliament and monarch.
Parliament = House of Lords
+ House of Commons
House of Lords- nobility
House of Commons - wealthy
and people of standing in
community-knights,
merchants, craftsmen.

English Origins of
American Government
The English Bill of Rights (1689)
- Signed by William and Mary
of Orange during the Glorious
Revolution
- Prohibited a standing army in
peace time
- Required free parliamentary
elections

John Locke, 1632-1704

John Lockes Natural Rights

Philosophy

State of Nature
Natural Rights
Human Nature
Purpose of
Government
Social Contract
Theory

Pure Democracy and

Crowdsourcing
What is
crowdsourcing?
Definition
Examples

Pure Democracy and

Crowdsourcing
Pros of Delegating
Decision-making:
Efficient
Expert quality

Pros of Pure Democracy:

Equality
Representational quality

Who should decide?

The Math: Condorcet's jury theorem
One of the two outcomes of the vote is correct, and each
voter has an independent probability p of voting for the
correct decision. The theorem asks how many voters we
should include in the group. The result depends on
whether p is greater than or less than 1/2:
If p is greater than 1/2 (each voter is more likely than not to
vote correctly), then adding more voters increases the
probability that the majority decision is correct. In the limit,
the probability that the majority votes correctly approaches 1
as the number of voters increases.
On the other hand, if p is less than 1/2 (each voter is more
likely than not to vote incorrectly), then adding more voters
makes things worse: the optimal jury consists of a single
voter.

Testing the theory

Divide in half making 2 teams for chess
One team will vote on a representative to make
all their decisions
The other will vote each day on their move.
If the pure democracy team wins, voters were
more likely than not to make the correct decision
and more voters creates better results.

Questions to Consider
Should we all vote on more decisions?
Which branch of government would most
appropriately be replaced by this system?
What are the problems with a pure
democracy in America?