Introduction to Political Concepts

by Hoffman, John; Graham, Paul

• ISBN13: 9781405824385
• ISBN10: 1405824387
• Edition: 1st
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2006-01-01
• Publisher: Longman

Summary

A completely new introduction to political concepts that will grab students interest through it's use of real-life examples.

Table of Contents

Guide to Features	xiv
Guided Tour	xvi
Publisher's Acknowledgements	xviii
Authors' Acknowledgements	xix
About the Authors	xxi
Introduction
Theory as Abstraction	xxiii
The Distinction between Facts and Values	xxiv
The Problem with the Contestability Thesis	xxv
Structure of the Book	xxvii
Questions	xxviii
References	xxix
Part 1 Classical Ideas
The Link with Other Concepts	3	(2)
Power and Authority: an Indissoluble Link?	5	(1)
Does a Broad View of Politics Help?	6	(1)
Negative and Positive Power	7	(1)
Negative and Positive Power as a Relationship	7	(1)
Three-dimensional Power and the Problem of Power and Authority	8	(1)
Accounting for the `Indissoluble Link'	9	(2)
References	11	(1)
The State	12	(24)
Introduction	12	(1)
Chapter Map	12	(1)
Test Case: Changing States: Hitler's Rise to Power	13	(1)
How Modern is the Concept of the State?	14	(1)
Defining the State	15	(3)
The Force Argument	15	(1)
The Centrality of Will	16	(1)
The State as a Mixture of Will and Force	17	(1)
Force and the Modernity Argument	18	(2)
The Argument against the Concept of the State	20	(3)
The Behaviouralist Argument	20	(1)
The Argument of David Easton	20	(1)
David Easton's Concept of the Political System	21	(1)
The Linguistic and Radical Argument	22	(1)
Problems with the Argument against the State	23	(5)
The Argument of David Easton	23	(1)
The Question of Existence	24	(1)
Force and Statelessness	25	(1)
The Distinction between Force and Constraint, State and Government	25	(1)
The Argument So Far...	26	(2)
State and Sovereignty	28	(1)
Sovereignty as a Modern Concept	28	(1)
Sovereignty as a Broad Concept	28	(1)
Problems with the Theories of State Sovereignty	29	(2)
Difficulties with the Modernist Conception	29	(1)
The Broad View of State Sovereignty	30	(1)
Rescuing the Idea of Sovereignty	31	(1)
Moving to a Stateless World	31	(2)
Summary	33	(1)
Questions	34	(1)
References	34	(1)
Further Reading	35	(1)
Weblinks	35	(1)
Freedom	36	(22)
Introduction	36	(1)
Chapter Map	36	(1)
Test Case: Smoking in the Last Chance Saloon?	37	(1)
Freedom	38	(1)
Mill's Defence of Freedom	39	(5)
Freedom of Thought and Expression	41	(1)
Freedom of Action	42	(2)
Criticisms and Developments	44	(7)
Harm to Others	44	(1)
Consent	45	(1)
Harm to Self	46	(1)
Offensiveness	47	(3)
Harmless Wrongdoing	50	(1)
Smoking Ban Reconsidered	51	(3)
Harm to Others	52	(1)
Consent	52	(1)
Harm to Self	53	(1)
Offensiveness	54	(1)
Summary	54	(1)
Questions	54	(1)
References	55	(1)
Further Reading	55	(1)
Weblinks	55	(3)
Equality	58	(22)
Introduction	58	(1)
Chapter Map	58	(1)
Test Case: What do People Deserve?	59	(1)
Principles of Equality	60	(3)
Moral Equality	63	(3)
Moral Autonomy and Moral Equality	63	(1)
Moral Inequality: a Caste Society	64	(2)
Legal Equality	66	(2)
Equal Liberties	68	(4)
Do Freedom and Equality Conflict?	69	(3)
Material Equality	72	(4)
Equal Access	72	(1)
Equality of Opportunity	73	(1)
Equality of Outcome	74	(1)
Affirmative Action	75	(1)
Summary	76	(1)
Questions	77	(1)
References	77	(1)
Further Reading	77	(1)
Weblinks	78	(2)
Justice	80	(22)
Introduction	80	(1)
Chapter Map	80	(1)
Test Case: A Neet Solution?	81	(1)
Theories of Just Distribution	82	(1)
Rawls: an Egalitarian Liberal Theory of Justice	83	(7)
The Original Position	84	(1)
Motivation in the Original Position	84	(2)
What would be Chosen in the Original Position?	86	(1)
The Democratic Conception: the Two Principles of Justice	87	(1)
Would we really Choose the Difference Principle?	88	(2)
Nozick: a Libertarian Theory of Justice	90	(4)
Nozick's Starting Point: Private Property Rights	90	(1)
Just Acquisition -- Locke and Nozick	91	(2)
Just Transfer	93	(1)
Rectification	94	(1)
Cohen: a Marxist Perspective on Distributive Justice	94	(6)
Cohen contra Nozick	96	(1)
Cohen contra Rawls	97	(3)
Summary	100	(1)
Questions	100	(1)
References	100	(1)
Further Reading	101	(1)
Weblinks	101	(1)
Democracy	102	(24)
Introduction	102	(1)
Chapter Map	102	(1)
Test Case: Inside the Voting Booth	103	(1)
Democracy and Confusion	104	(1)
Democracy and Liberalism	105	(2)
The Problem of Exclusion	107	(2)
The `Tyranny of the Majority' Thesis	109	(1)
The Problem of Participation	110	(1)
Solutions to the Problem of Low Participation	111	(2)
Representational and Direct Democracy	113	(2)
The Argument So Far...	115	(1)
Democracy and the State	115	(3)
The Ancient Greek Polity and the Problem with Liberalism	118	(1)
Democracy and the Relational Argument	119	(3)
Summary	122	(1)
Questions	122	(1)
References	123	(1)
Further Reading	123	(1)
Weblinks	124	(2)
Citizenship	126	(30)
Introduction	126	(1)
Chapter Map	126	(1)
Test Case: `Being British': Pride, Passports and Princes	127	(1)
Citizenship and Liberalism	128	(1)
Citizenship and Class	128	(1)
Citizenship, Marshall and Social Rights	129	(3)
Citizenship and the New Right	132	(2)
Citizenship and the Case for a Basic Income	134	(1)
Citizenship and Women	135	(3)
Global Citizenship	138	(3)
The Argument So Far...	139	(2)
Citizenship within the European Union	141	(2)
Does the State Undermine Citizenship?	143	(1)
The Problem of Class	144	(3)
Citizenship as a Relational Concept	147	(2)
Summary	149	(1)
Questions	149	(1)
References	150	(1)
Further Reading	151	(1)
Weblinks	151	(5)
Part 2 New Concepts
Difference	156	(18)
Introduction	156	(1)
Chapter Map	156	(1)
Test Case: `A Protestant State for the Protestant People': Difference in Northern Ireland	157	(1)
Defining Difference	158	(1)
The Problem of the Dominant Identity	159	(2)
Postmodernism/Post-structuralism and Difference	161	(4)
Feminist Theory and Difference	165	(2)
Liberalism and Difference	167	(2)
Democracy and the State	169	(2)
Summary	171	(1)
Questions	171	(1)
References	171	(1)
Further Reading	172	(1)
Weblinks	172	(2)
Human Rights	174	(24)
Introduction	174	(1)
Chapter Map	174	(1)
Test Case: Rough Justice?	175	(1)
Human Rights after Nuremberg	176	(2)
Human Rights Conventions	178	(4)
Universal Declaration of Human Rights (1948)	179	(1)
European Convention on Human Rights (1950)	180	(1)
Why the Declaration and the Convention are Significant	181	(1)
What are Rights?	182	(3)
Categorising Rights: Hohfeld's Scheme	182	(2)
Will Theory versus Benefit Theory	184	(1)
Relativism versus Universalism	185	(7)
Intuition and Moral Consensus	186	(1)
International Hypothetical Contract	187	(1)
Rawls and the International Hypothetical Contract	188	(2)
Rational Entailment	190	(2)
Group Rights and Welfare Rights	192	(2)
Group Rights	192	(1)
Welfare Rights	193	(1)
Summary	194	(1)
Questions	195	(1)
References	195	(1)
Further Reading	195	(1)
Weblinks	196	(2)
Civil Disobedience	198	(26)
Introduction	198	(1)
Chapter Map	198	(1)
Test Case: Protest and Survive?	199	(1)
Civil Disobedience and Law-breaking	200	(2)
Law-breaking	200	(2)
Civil Disobedience and Political Obligation	202	(1)
Civil Disobedience and Democracy	202	(5)
Democracy and Obedience	202	(2)
Fair Compromise	204	(1)
Problems with Democracy	205	(2)
Rawls: Civil Disobedience and Conscientious Refusal	207	(6)
The Context	207	(1)
Obligation to Obey the Law	208	(2)
The Nature and Role of Civil Disobedience	210	(2)
Conscientious Refusal	212	(1)
Martin Luther King, Jr. and the Civil Rights Movement	213	(8)
Historical Background to the Civil Rights Movement	214	(1)
The Civil Rights Movement	214	(3)
Martin Luther King, `Letter from Birmingham City Jail' (1963)	217	(4)
Summary	221	(1)
Questions	221	(1)
References	221	(1)
Further Reading	222	(1)
Weblinks	222	(2)
Terrorism	224	(22)
Introduction	224	(1)
Chapter Map	224	(1)
Test Case: 9/11 and its Legacy	225	(1)
Liberalism and the Question of Violence	226	(1)
The State and Terrorism	226	(1)
An Assessment of Salmi	227	(1)
Distinguishing between Political Violence and Terrorism	228	(2)
Terrorism, Ambiguity and the Liberal State	230	(2)
Marx on the Problem of Terrorism	232	(1)
The Leninist and Maoist Position on Terrorism	233	(2)
A General Theory of Terrorism?	235	(1)
The Roots of Terrorism	236	(2)
The Problem of Terror and the State	238	(1)
The Force/Violence Distinction and the Analysis of Terrorism	239	(2)
The Significance of 9/11	241	(2)
Summary	243	(1)
Questions	243	(1)
References	244	(1)
Further Reading	245	(1)
Weblinks	245	(1)
Victimhood	246	(21)
Introduction	246	(1)
Chapter Map	246	(1)
Test Case: `Arbeit Macht Frei'	247	(1)
Victims and Violence	248	(1)
What is Victimhood?	248	(2)
Victimhood and Power	250	(1)
Are Women Victims?	251	(2)
Dualism, Women and Victimhood	253	(2)
Human Rights and Victimhood: The South African Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC)	255	(2)
Is Contract an Answer to the Problem of Victimhood?	257	(2)
Victimhood and Denial	259	(2)
The State, Mutuality and Dualism	261	(2)
Summary	263	(1)
Questions	264	(1)
References	264	(1)
Further Reading	265	(1)
Weblinks	265	(2)
Conclusion	267	(2)
Academic Political Theory and Politics	267	(2)
Glossary	269	(6)
Index	275