Utopia, Democracy, and Reform
The course name of the essay is Utopia, Democracy, and Reform. You can choose the topic yourself in a wide range related to political philosophy. Please see the details in the file attached.
Writing Advices
4. FOR MA STUDENTS: Draft your own question. Make sure that it permits either an exploration ("What is..."; "Why...?; "How...?") or a defense ("Should we phi?"; "Is x policy legitimate?"; "quote" Discuss"). Make sure that you have a key set of readings in mind - draft a reading list, if you've not done so yet. Do be aware that you may need to explain the significance of your essay question and set out some relevant definitions early on. You have a special responsibility to frame the discussion you are going to engage in because you are free to develop your own question and draw on your own selected literature, so long as it is thematically linked with the module. So, you need to be extra careful to get your reader to understand the context of the discussion and the nature of the debate you are engaging in. For help with this, look at established scholars do at the beginning of an article or book to get the reader to follow their train of thought (in short, they either couch the debate in current academic debates (that is the standard thing to do), existing practical debates (be careful to draw on reputable sources for this), historic debates (either academic or practical), or they set up a story like situation (sometimes allegorical) which reveals a philosophical problem (this is often in the form of "Suppose...[followed by a story]", but it can also be drawn from cinema or literature). How you invite the reader into a debate is an important part of convincing the reader that the problem you are dealing with is real, salient, and worthy of their attention.
5. FOR ALL STUDENTS: Whatever you do, keep the argument clear and to the point: Because of the diversity of scholarship you can draw on, you are going to want to be exceptionally clear about the way in which you are choosing to interpret the question(s) and how you think your selected author(s)'s argument responds to it (them). So explain to your reader why you are discussing specific topics throughout your essay. Show how it relates to the question. Take your reader by the hand. Be gentle but firm.
6. FOR ALL STUDENTS: Pick a side. Does so and so's argument in favour of X work? Is it convincing? Let your reader know what you think and show the reader why you think what you think. In fact, try to show the reader that they should think the same as you because of really good reasons you can provide in clear language, explaining really well what the big ideas and key argument are and what you make of them.
7. FOR ALL STUDENTS: Although there is a lot more of a focus on empirical studies (politics, history, sociology, and even a bit of economics) in this module than in other philosophy modules, you are still writing as a philosopher, so you need to make your argument as clear as possible, as convincing as possible, and as well explained as possible. You want it to be next to impossible for your reader to misunderstand you (Note: it is my job to misinterpret you if at all possible when marking, so help me by helping yourself: point out where confusions can crop up and dispel them).
8. FOR ALL STUDENTS: Good scholarship helps. Read the core readings. Then read all of the relevant further readings. Then read related sources that you find all by yourself. The more knowledge you have in an area, the more likely you will be to articulate your thinking in a rich and sophisticated way
9. FOR ALL STUDENTS: Be strategic. After reading, think about what you think is true. Figure out why you think something is true. Then think about how you will need to present the arguments to show to someone else that what you think is true is indeed true
11. FOR ALL STUDENTS: Crucially, though, avoid misrepresenting others' views. This is harder in a module like ours, because there are a lot of authors saying lots of different things. But doing your best to get people right is an important philosophical skill. So, try to be charitable in your readings.
12. FOR ALL STUDENTS: Consider objections. No philosophy essay is complete if it does not engage with potential objections to the interpretation or argument provided therein.
13. FOR ALL STUDENTS: Use examples. In our case, in addition to your own made up examples, these can be historical examples, examples drawn from sociological studies and political science - these are all great, but cite reliable sources (you are nearing the end of your undergraduate education, show your reader that you can be trusted to draw on serious work and not unreliable sources)
14. FOR ALL STUDENTS: Admit the limitations of your argument. The goal is to show that you can engage authentically with a hard problem. No one expects you to solve it all in one 4000 word essay (even less so in 2000 words!). So be honest about the scope of your argument. Admit the limitations. Point out in footnotes what you would have liked to explore further but could not for lack of space
15. FOR ALL STUDENTS: Recall that introductions and conclusions in philosophy are what you write at the very end (but before the bibilography) and that they are short and to the point. In an introduction, you need to: make clear what your central thesis is and why (in short) you defend it; make clear how your thesis relates to the question (if it's not 100% transparent you need to take your reader by the hand and explain); outline the structure of your essay. In a conclusion, you do the same but in reverse order (no need to open up at the end - if you thought there were important areas of further inquiry, let the reader know in footnotes at the relevant points throughout the essay).
16. FOR ALL STUDENTS: Have fun! Though you may want to avoid being too colloquial in a formal piece of work, this is your chance to shine, demonstrate how your mind works, share insights and draw on your own idiosyncratic knowledge and passions: literature, cinema, jokes (note: jokes are often rude, but if you are citing someone else's words, that passage can be far more colloquial, since the originators are responsible for the words, not you), stories heard around the dinner table can all be drawn on if you do it right. What is doing it right? It involves admitting the anecdotal nature of some claims, but articulating an insight that you think is important. Then you need to explain and defend your claim that that insight is indeed important and relevant to answering the question
17. FOR ALL STUDENTS: Be accountable. Ultimately, philosophy is about being accountable for your thoughts. So try to think about what other people would say in response and explain yourself to them in as fair a way as possible.
18. FOR ALL STUDENTS: AVOID RHETORICAL QUESTIONS! If you ask a question, we expect you to have a go at trying to answer it. And if your point is not to ask a question, you can make the same point you would make without using a rhetorical question by transforming it into an affirmation or a negation, which will be clearer and more powerful.
EXAMPLE ESSAY QUESTIONS (if you are lacking inspiration…
1.Is justice the first virtue of a political arrangement?
2.Is Plato’s analogy of the ship of the state an accurate description of democratic politics?
3.“A prince ought to have no other aim or thought, nor select anything else for his study, than war and its rules and discipline; for this is the sole art that belongs to him who rules.” Discuss
4.Were the demands made by The Levellers in An Agreement of the People politically legitimate? If so, in what sense and why?
5.Were the demands made in The Declaration of Independence politically legitimate? If so, in what sense and why?
6.Were the events of the French Revolution politically legitimate? If so, in what sense and why?
7.Is fighting injustice a matter of education
8.Can the working class “simply lay hold of the ready-made state machinery, and wield it for its own purposes”?
9.Do democratic ends require democratic means
10.What, if anything, can repair the harm of slavery and Jim Crow in the United States of America
11.Is nonviolence more than a mere method of protest?
12.Should we aim to achieve important political goals “by any means necessary”
13.Should all community organizers follow Alinsky’s rules for community organizing
14.Is achieving political change a matter of storytelling? If so, are there limits to the stories we should tell?
15. Should the state implement a Universal Basic Income in the United Kingdom right now?
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Utopia, Democracy, and Reform
Democracy is a state of government where people are involved in the decision-making process. They are either directly or indirectly involved, and the decisions are made based on the majority votes. Democracy can be viewed as a debate where a question is asked, and the people have a choice to either reject or accept. There is no right or wrong answer; the numbers of the supporters on each side decide the correctness of the question. Moreover, the answer cannot be fixed. Suppose a majority of the people support the answer now, and the late change their positions. In that case, their latest decision is considered to be the ultimate answer. The idea of democracy is tied to people's political life; democracy is entwined with people's social and economic dealings (Alexander n.p). Past and present examples indicate how democracy can be entwined with the named issues, and some cases are unique based on the environment and the types of laws in a specific jurisdiction. This essay aims to answer the main question: 'Were the demands made in The Declaration of Independence politically legitimate? If so, in what sense and why?' This paper will argue that the declaration of independence was legitimately based on the philosophical principles in it. Moreover, historical events in Ancient Greece will also prove the importance and progressive nature of democracy that the American people were advocating for in the Declaration of Independence.
The declaration of independence was the one document that America's founding fathers sent to Great Britain's monarchy, claiming that their rights had been breached enough and wanted to continue as an independent nation because they had the ability. It was based on the fact the all people were created equal, and they have rights that no one could and was permitted to overlook. The atrocities and injustices committed by Great Britain were mainly economic and political, as explained in the document. The founding father believed that it was time to be free because their masters were no longer interested in their affairs and wellbeing. The ideas therein formed the basis of independence and democracy based on the will of the people.
There is a type of democracy where people elect their leaders, and the candidates with the majority of the votes are given the legitimate powers to make decisions concerning the people. In this case, people relinquish their powers to specific people and institutions, and they must not be consulted whenever there are decisions to be made. In this scenario, the only time when people are actively engaged in the democratic process is when they elect the leader. Some elections are complex because there are two levels of government, and the elected leaders also elect a higher tier of leaders that guide the decision-making process and make decisions for the entire population. Numerous studies have focused on how democracy can be improved and more power is given to the people. There are currently mixed types of governments. The benefits of each can only be outlined when they are contrasted to each other. For example, America's political structure is unique from countries like Britain, Germany, China, and the United Arab Emirates. The named countries have different governance structures, but they are all based on ensuring their needs are met, and the system is coherent.
People within the jurisdictions are the metric of governance excellence. How contented are people with their systems, and if not, how are they changing the structure to ensure that their needs are met? Growth and development are viewed as the metrics for a strong political system, but the matter of peace is their determinant. No government can exist when there are internal battles or external influence that may destabilize the internal peace. It is important then for countries to prioritize the population's needs and ensure they are contented with the system. This factor only happens when their needs are made a priority.
It is also important to understand how democracy started and its main intention. Having this idea in mind is acknowledging that prior to the popularization of the democracy concept, there were numerous forms of government, and from them, there is the general notion that people opted for democracy because it had numerous merits. Such an analysis would take us to ancient Greece in the city of Athens, which is synonymous with the concept of democracy. In the analysis, it is also critical to acknowledge the historical times of change when people decided to change the governance structure because it failed to meet their needs (Berlin 86). While there are many examples to prove people's power, the best jurisdictions to elaborate the topic of democracy are America and Ancient Greece.
History proves that there were other states prior to ancient Greece's popularity, but there are little evidence to prove this fact. Poor documentation practices by earlier societies may have caused this factor, and this may have been caused by numerous factors like lack of storage material and illiteracy. America and ancient Greece have been chosen because they popularized the idea of democracy in the new and the old era, respectively. There were specific groups of people that initiated the process and actively engaged the public in participation, but they will be overlooked to prevent the digression of the topic. However, Plato's works will be narrated explicitly in the essay because they presented a philosophical view of the idea and hinted at the benefits if people adopted it. Democracy, as it is known, has undergone tremendous transformation in the sense that politics, economics, and society have become permanently entwined. Earlier, there were ideas to restrict democracy only to political life. Still, the efforts were futile, especially because economic, political, and social lives change. Hence, the entire concept cannot remain static. Each change mentioned in this essay will be viewed as a case study, and the reasons will be outlined and dissected from a philosophical point of view.
Ancient Greece
In this analysis, Rome, Athens, and Sparta will be part of the discussion because their systems were unique, although they acknowledged the powers that the vast population had in the decision making processes. These empires' rise and fall are directly connected to how their leaders were selected or elected and change in their ruling structures. The jurisdiction was divided into numerous states, each with different ruling systems; they were known as the poleis. No single ruler was governing the entire place, and the internal and external matters were handled separately. None of them interacted with each other unless they were actively involved in trade or war. They connected and functioned in almost the same manner modern jurisdictions do. Sometimes they had common friends and foes, and sometimes they fought against each other. Their hostility and friendship depended on the shared interest and the relationship between specific leaders.
Sparta had a government structure that was a semblance of democracy. It was divided into four levels of government that distributed power among the people. It consisted of the assembly of Spartans known as the paella, and it lay in the bottom rank, representatives of the citizens who oversaw the Kings known as the ephors in the third tier, Council of Elders known as Gerontes in the second tier, and the diarchy (two Spartan Kings known as the gerousia that lied on the top tier. military fitness, equality (among citizens), and austerity were the most emphasized values by Lycurgus after the public revolt in the second century (Nigel 11). Most of the legislative and judicial power lied with the diarchy, but it is apparent that the voice of the people was never neglected in the process.
Athens is considered the navel of democracy, which came after civil unrest throughout the 6th century. The majority poor claimed to be exploited by the aristocratic system, and they demanded fairness and equality. Solon seemed to solve the erupting problem by offering solutions based on giving power to the people (Richard 14). Peasants could now be selected into government and directly control how the ruling class was chosen (Tridimas n.p). The voting system was created, and the people were actively involved in the legislation and the judicial process. Democracy created a sense of order in the society because people felt that they were the government, and all the decisions revolved around their wellbeing. The Peloponnesian war changed the democratic government structure with the defeat by Spartans, but it was shortly revived after the people failed to acknowledge it because it did not meet their political, social, and economic needs.
Rome had a mixed constitution and a three-tier government where the common people were on the bottom rank, the senate in the middle, and the two consuls at the top. The people's assembly had the least power, and it only came to action when requested by the court. The government was supposed to execute the will of the people (Helena 9). There were efforts to form a constitution and be governed like Sparta, but its ruling model was based more on monarchy and economic status retention. This imbalance and disregard of people's power pulled the masses to support Julius Caeser when he took over the government. His main agenda was to undo the injustice done to him and...