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Pol Sci Notes 1
Introduction to American Politics (Pol 101)
University of Mississippi
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Pol Sci Notes 1
Winston Churchil - “Democracy is the worst form of government, except for all the others.”
Lots of different types of democracy. Republican form of democracy for the US.
The power for the government comes from the people.
Democracy:
Government - “The purpose of government is to enable the people of a nation to live in safety and happiness. Government exists for the interests of the governed, not for the governors.” - Thomas Jefferson
People - “Democracy is not simply a license to indulge individual whims and proclivities. It is also holding oneself accountable to some reasonable degree for the conditions of peace and chaos that impact the lives of those who inhabit one’s beloved extended community.” - Aberjhani
Purpose of Government:
- Maintain Order
- Maximize Freedom
- Freedom of Liberty: freedom to do things without constraints
- Freedom from Equality: freedom from oppression or exploitation
- Provide public goods (roads, teachers, police)
- Promote Equality
What should the government be doing?
- Social Welfare:
- Social Order:
How should the government attempt to achieve its purpose?
Must balance serving purpose with protecting freedom for its citizens.
Leads to trade-offs of values - Maximize freedom vs. maximize order vs. maximize equality - Individual vs. Societal
Motivated Reasoning
Using some motivation to reach a conclusion - Some types of Bias - Preconceived notion - Rationalization - Stubbornness - Willful Ignorance
Examples: sports teams, religion, race, ideology, self-interest
Partisan Motivated Reasoning:
Where individuals interpret information through the lens of the their party commitment
How to recognize partisan motivation:
Ask yourself: Would my [insert position here] stay the same if the parties changed places? Examples: Economy and people’s opinions on it, Republicans and Democrats.
Why should we care?
In a world of “fake news”, personal news feeds, personalized friend circles, if we don’t recognize the bias we start with then our ability to really make sense of the world and make reasonable and logical judgments is greatly compromised. - Also, we need to be able to judge the bias of our information sources.
Pol Sci Notes 1
Course: Introduction to American Politics (Pol 101)
University: University of Mississippi
