Test 5 : Political Science Mains Marathon
TEST 5 : POLITICAL THEORY
Q.1. Examine the challenges to the sovereignty of state in present times.
Q.2. Plato is an enemy of open society – popper. Comment.
Q.3. Political ideology of globalization is Neo-liberalism. Comment.
Q.4. “Men make their own history, but they do not make it as they please; They do not make it under self selected circumstances, but circumstances existing already, giving and transmitted from the past”- Marx. Examine.
Q.5 Explain – “The intellectuals are the dominant groups, ‘deputies’ exercising the subaltern function on social hegemony and political government.(Gramsci).
Q.6. “The sad truth is that most evil is done by people who never make up their minds to be good or evil.”- Explain in terms of Hannah Arendt.
Q.7. Compare liberal perspectives of state with that of feminist perspective towards state.
Q.8. Why disquisition between sex and gender has been so important to feminist analysis? Are the differences within feminism more than the similarities?
Q.9. Explain Focault’s theory of power. What does he mean when he says that power is everywhere? Examine.
Q.10. Explain exactly how Hannah Arendt’s theory of power is different from Weber’s theory of power.
All Mains Marathon Optional Questions are updated in this page.
Q.1. Examine the challenges to the sovereignty of state in present times.
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Sovereignty is considered as the essential feature of modern nation state. It signifies that the authority of state within a particular territory and on population shall be supreme. Meaning neither any external institution nor any internal institution will have supremacy.
Laski, a pluralistic scholar, suggest that with the emergence of federal constitutions the authority gets divided. Hence discovering sovereignty in Austinian sense ( A scholar of Monistic Theory of sovereignty ) has become impossible misadventure. He also suggests that it is a threat to peace and humanity and so to take the concept of sovereignty out of political theory.
Further, Globalists like kenichi ohame ( Concept of border less world), Marshall MacLuhan ( Concept of global village ) believe that globalization has rendered the sovereignty of state redundant.
According to some scholars globalization has given rise to new concepts of sovereignty Eg. Responsibility to protect, idea of pooled sovereignty.
Q.2. Plato is an enemy of open society – popper. Comment.
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Plato who is considered as the father of politicial philosophy has been criticized by Karl popper as enemy of open society. Karl popper in his book ” The open society and its enemies ” published in 1954 calls Plato, Hegel and Karl Marx as enemies of open society.
In his book ” The open society and its enemies ” volume 1 titled – The spell of Plato , suggest that plato was anti humanist, anti liberty and anti democracy. Karl popper criticized Plato as an enemy of open society because Plato suggest holistic changes in the system of polity, education and society as a whole. He also refers Plato as evil genius and having dangerous tendencies towards totalitarianism. He considers so because of absence of rights and liberties in Plato’s ideal state and state controlling all walks of life including family and marriage. Another reason popper criticizes Plato is that Plato’s theories are not open for falsification. Plato advocates that philosopher king has ultimate knowledge and ultimate powers and hence wisdom of philosopher king cannot be questioned.
However Plato’s defenders like Sidney hook suggest that popper has studied Plato too literally and accordingbto Rajiv Bhargava, popper’s criticism is ideologically motivated and based on abstract reasoning.
Q.9. Explain Focault’s theory of power. What does he mean when he says that power is everywhere? Examine.
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Foucault, a French political scientist, was influenced by Nietzsche. According to Post-modernist Foucault, knowledge is power and power is everywhere. It is present in the society like network of capillaries.
Foucault’s theory of power differs from conventional theories of power. According to Foucault, Hobbes theory that power lies with the state is juridico discursive model. From the perspective of these theories power is seen as coercive or repressive. It also appear as if power lies with the ruling class and power is exercised by ruling class on the people. Foucault calls this view of power as macro view of power and gives micro view of power.
According to Foucault, power is not just limited to these institutions, power is present and being exercised thoughout the society, in the form of ideas which become values, ideology which become culture, in the form of multiple discourses that shape our life. Instead of limiting our understanding to the political system he shifts our focus on society, the infinite ways in which society exercise power.
According to him, power is everywhere. It is diffused thoughout the society. Each individual is an embodiment of power. It is wrong to believe that the exercise of power is unidirectional or from top to bottom. It is wrong to the think that king only exercises power. But in reality even the king is the product of discourse.
Thus for Foucault, power is present throughout the society like dense network of capillaries. Power is immanent in all social relations including family.
very nicely written buddy ……… 😀 😀 beautiful 🙂
Q.7. Compare liberal perspectives of state with that of feminist perspective towards state.
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State is the central concept of political theory. It is said that political science begins and ends with the state. State signifies authority and there are various theories which describes the origin, functions and nature of the state.
According to liberal scholars State is manmade, artificial. State is the consequence of social contract. It is a rational choice of man to form the state. Contrary to this liberal view of origin of state, feminist scholars view state as a creation of patriarchy. It was not a rational choice of women and only men were involved in social contract and women were excluded. Catherine MacKinnon in her book ” Towards the feminist theory of state ” , “when I look towards state it appears male to me. ”
For liberals state is a neutral arbiter. While classical and neo liberal limits the powers of the state and calls for ” Night watchman state ” and positive liberals allows state to intervene in the citizens life Abd calls for welfare state.
For feminist state is not a neutral arbiter rather it is an instrument of the patriarchy and continues to serve the interests of men only. When Catherine MacKinnon analyses the laws made for the protection of women she finds that these laws are made by the men for the men rather than for women.
So for liberals, liberty is the core value and asks state for more liberty. While feminists like iris Marion young asks for differentiated citizenship. According to her universal citizenship is a colour blindness.
( note personal os political. Neglect of women’s perspective. Cynthia enloe – where are the women. )
Q.3. Political ideology of globalization is Neo-liberalism. Comment.
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Globalization refers to the growing interconnectedness and interdependence. It also means liberlized movement of goods, capital, labour facilitated by interconnectedness among nations.
Neoliberalism is an ideology which emphasizes on the role of private sector and calls for “rolling back of the state”. The scholars of this school are critiques of welfare state and calls it a NANNY STATE.
Globalists scholars like kenichi ohame, Marshall MacLuhan believe that globalization has made state redundant. They give concepts like BORDEELESS WORLD, GLOBAL VILLAGE. Scholars also believe that the forces of globalization like technology, capital, market reduced the importance of state. States capacity to monitor, regulate has declined considerably. In short geo economics rather than geo politics has taken the centre stage. This is the philosophy of neo liberalism. In 1990s at global level Neo liberalism came to be accepted as the only option. It was adopted in eastern Europe as SHOCK THERAPY OR in developing countries as STRUCTURAL ADJUSTMENT PROGRAMME.
While other scholars like robert Gilpin, Ethan Kapslien believe that geo politics rather than geo economics continues to have primacy in foreign policy. Star has not rolled back and in fact state is in command of globalization.
The globalization led by neo liberal ideology resulted into the growth of inter and intra state disparities. Instead of trickle down effect it has resulted into concentration of wealth. As a result of this various anti globalization movements started emerging. After global financial crisis the emergence of protectionist polices in the west has considerably eroded the conncetion between globalization and neo liberal ideology.
Q.5 Explain – “The intellectuals are the dominant groups, ‘deputies’ exercising the subaltern function on social hegemony and political government.(Gramsci).
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Gramsi who is considered as the second most important thinker in marxism after Karl Marx, while understanding why communist revolution not happening as predicted by Karl Marx, understood the importance of superstructure -culture, ideology – in continuation of bourgeoisie rule.
According to him superstructure is not just the reflection of base but structure in itself. It has its own existence and is autonomous. Superstructure has two structures – civil society and political society. According to Gramsci, only political structure does jot act as an instrument of the dominant class even the civil society acts as an instrument.
Gramsci considers civil society as a site for manufacturing consent in favor of dominant class. Bourgeoisie rule is not just by coercion but by manufacturing consent. This dimension of power gramsci calls HEGEMONY.
According to Gramsci, role of intellectuals is very important in this process of manufacturing consent. According to him whenever any new dominant class emerges it brings the new set of intellectuals. Intellectuals are the deputies of the dominant class. He considers organic intellectuals whose rise is associated with the rise of dominant class play the role of establishing the hegemony of this emerging dominant class. As their own survival depends on the survival of the dominant class.
The preexisting traditional intellectuals Eg. Church fathers, artists, go to margin with the rise of organic intellectuals. They feel themsepves autonomous but they are also coopted by the new dominant class.
Awesome answer man 😀
Q.6. “The sad truth is that most evil is done by people who never make up their minds to be good or evil.”- Explain in terms of Hannah Arendt.
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Hannah Arendt, the only woman recognized as political philosopher, is a German Jew and contemporary of Hitler. She has witnessed the atrocities perpetrated by Hitler on Jews and in her book EICHMAN IN JERUSALEM analyzed the bureaucratic administration, anonymous labour, elite domination and manipulation of popular opinion.
In her book, Eichman is a Nazi officer responsible for executing Hitler’s plans of extermination of Jews. Hannah Arendt finds Eichman not guilty. She therefore also called as CONTROVERSIAL THINKER.
Hanah Arendt gives the concept of BANALITY OF EVIL. According to her we are living in a society where heinous crimes like genocides are becoming normal and day to day affair. She also believes that the persons who commit such crime are neither monsters nor sociopath. They are normal ordinary persons.
Hannah Arendt links BoE tp the culture of bureaucratization. A culture to obey authority without questioning. A culture of hierarchy and chain of commands where sole motivation is promotion. It inhibits persons capacity to think independently and critical reasoning.
According to Hannah Arendt, evil becomes banal when it acquires unthinking, systemic character, when ordinary people participate in it, build distance from it, justify it in countless ways, when there no moral conundrums or revulsions, when we defend such actions through cliches, stock phrases. It becomes a macabre commedy. Evil does not look like evil or becomes faceless.
very nice answer, conclusion is excellent 😀
Q.10. Explain exactly how Hannah Arendt’s theory of power is different from Weber’s theory of power.
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Hannah Arendt, the only woman recognized as political philosopher, belongs to tradition of CIVIC REPUBLICANISM. Participation of people in civic affairs considers ad the most important action.
Max weber who is a critique of Karl Marx, analyzes the reasons for continuation of state and concludes that the exercise of power by the state is considered rights by the people.
There are significant differences in Hannah arendt’s theory of power and Webers theory of power. Weber who considers the exercise of power by the state as its legitimate authority, Hannah calls this type of exercise of power as violence. She makes difference between violence and power. According to her violence is exercised by the state or authority while power is exercised by the people.
Weber in his theory of power gives 3 ideal types of authority as Traditional authority, charismatic authority, legal rational authority and concludes that in all societies all forms of authority exists. Hannah Arendt does not agree with this view of power. She does not believe power belong to any office rather it belongs to the world of humans. Power os acting in concert with each other. Power sui generis and it cannot be stored. When people come together it originates and disappears when we go in isolation. Unlike Weber, she does not restrict consent of people to the state for the exercise of power rather believes that polis is not a place and it can appear anywhere.
Another difference between two can be sites as both have very opposite views wrt bureaucracy and its power. Weber believes bureaucracy as a necessary tool for exercise of power. Hannah Arendt like her concept of BANALITY OF EVIL to the bureaucratization. According to her bureaucracy is a culture to obey the authority without questioning. It is hierarchy and chain of commands. It inhibits idependent thinking.
It can be concluded that Max weber is jot concerned about the participation of people in civic affairs while Hannah Arendt is ardent advocate of the same.