Early Modern Political Thought

Overview

• Early modern political thought is framed around the rise of Christianity, the decline of the Roman Empire, and the link to the Islamic World.
• Discussions will cover Luther's challenge to the Catholic Church's authority and Machiavelli's views on rulers' need to know how to do evil if necessary.

Machiavelli

• Machiavelli's text 'The Prince' describes a ruler's need to manipulate appearances to maintain power.
• Advocates for rulers to not always act virtuously if it means maintaining control.

Emergence of Liberal Ideas

• Separation of political authority from religious authority.
• Focuses on individual rights, consent, and authority as challenges to traditional structures.
• Liberalism is organized to reduce societal conflict and promote cooperation.

Key Thinkers

Thomas Hobbes

• Known for his work "Leviathan," depicting a state of nature as violent and chaotic.
• Advocates for surrendering natural rights to a sovereign authority for protection.
• Authority shifts from faith-based to reason-based.

John Locke

• Expands on Hobbes’s ideas but emphasizes individual rights and property.
• Property rights are central; each person has ownership over themselves and their labor.
• Locke supports ideas like popular sovereignty, enfranchisement, and equality under law.

Jean-Jacques Rousseau

• Takes liberal thought further by claiming people are born free but are in chains everywhere.
• Political authority should stem from the general will of the people.
• Advocates for laws made through representatives to ensure liberty and security.

Alexis de Tocqueville

• Focuses on democracy in America and the tyranny of the majority.
• Describes a 'soft despotism' where democracy reduces to periodic voting.

Concepts and Critiques

Liberalism

• Critiques of traditional authority, advocating for limited government as a check on power.
• Emphasizes individual rights, property, and minority rights as challenges to state authority.

Nationalism

• Nationalism as a binding element in society, providing authority to the state based on shared identity.
• Uses examples like sport in America to illustrate modern forms of shared identity.

Challenges to Authority

• The critique of existing authority structures, especially those rooted in religion or monarchy.
• Movement towards secular authority and individual autonomy.

Modern Implications

• Impacts of liberalism seen in the American and French Revolutions.
• Modern critiques on liberal democracy explore issues like inequality, populism, and authoritarianism.

Leadership and Authority

• Lack of focus on specific leaders in political thought.
• Fukuyama's "end of history" thesis suggests liberal democracy as the ultimate political system.
• Challenges to liberal democracy from COVID-19, populism, and authoritarian figures.

These notes cover the key points and thinkers discussed in the lecture on early modern political thought, emphasizing the evolution from traditional authority to modern liberalism and democracy.