Why do I have to take this class?
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In a nutshell, it is in order to preserve the governing system. The government of the United States is designed to be a democratic republic. This means that while authority (sovereignty) rests with the people, the actual operations of government – the legislative, executive and judicial powers – are delegated to institutions which are held accountable by the electorate. The problem with this arrangement is that the general population can be unruly and unstable. This can destabilize the governing institutions. History provides many examples of periods of instability ultimate leading to chaos, which can eventually lead the population to give up their claims to being the sovereign authority. It is willingly handed over to and individual or entity that will keep the peace, which is done at the expense of individual liberty. The men who were able to participate during the founding era believed that an educated population was best able to resist chaos by acquiring a rational understanding of governance and public policy, as well as the ability to properly comprehend the nature of contemporary events. The best way to do so was to ensure people were properly educated. Debate ensued over which level of government was best suited for doing so and as we will discuss later, the responsibility for education largely fell to the states. But many states – Texas included – wrestled with the same issues. The decision was ultimately made that an educated population was best able to ensure the continuance of a democratic republic. So that explains the government requirement.
For past blog posts on related subject matter:
- Civic Education.
- Is the American Public Rational?
- Keeping the Republic.
- Mob Rule.
- Political Ignorance.
- Political Knowledge.
- Political Participation.
- The Founders.
- The Republic.
Defining Key Terms
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A useful dialogue about class matters requires we have a common understanding of the terms we will use in class. I break these down into two broad categories: those that fit under the heading of “government” and those that fit under the heading of “politics.” The former relate to the institutions that are granted – or otherwise acquire – the authority to govern. This means they get to set and implement public policy. The latter are those that struggle over what the governing institutions do. What types of policies are established and implemented. We will discuss – briefly – the different types of governing arrangements that exist in order to put the American system in context, and then discuss some of the basic terms we will use over this semester. This is all to improve efficiency, so we don’t struggle much over communications.
For past blog posts on related subject matter:
- Authoritarianism.
- Autocracy.
- Constitutions.
- Democracy.
- Direct Democracy.
- Ideology.
- Interest Groups.
- Oligarcy.
- Plutocracy.
- Political Parties.
- The Media.
- Totalitarianism.
Ideology – What is Government for Anyway?
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A key term discussed at the end of the previous section was “ideology.” It was defined as a set of issue positions based on an underlying value. In contemporary American politics we primarily hear people describe themselves as conservative or liberal. Each has their own idea about the proper basis of governance and what types of policies are best and why. Ideally the use of those terms helps us determine the nature of the positions they hold – it is a useful shortcut for determining what people believe. But there can also be disputes within each ideology about proper public policy, so they are not always completely helpful. Nevertheless, so much of contemporary political debate is wrapped up in those terms that it is essential to get a handle on it. That is the purpose of this section.
For past blog posts on related subject matter:
- Conservatism.
- Conservatives.
- Edmund Burke.
- Fascism.
- Ideology.
- Liberalism.
- Liberals.
- Libertarianism.
- Thomas Paine.
- Political Psychology.
- Populism.
- Socialism.
