Lecture 11 - Monica Brito-Vieira PDF

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Monica Brito-Vieira...

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Thursday, 12 November 2020

Lecture 11 - Machiavelli - Machiavelli haas a perspectivist approach to politics! - 'To low the nature of people one needs to be the prove, and to know well the nature of the prince, one needs to be one of the people.'! - 'Machiavellian theorising and action itself hinges on a mode of seeing that invites democratic thinking'. - Laura Janara!

- However, Andrew Mousley finds it is 'also an image of carnivalesque inversion, with ruler and ruled exchanging positions'. This 'unless a series of destabilising alternative perspectives’.!

KEY IDEAS: mixed constitutions, balanced equilibrium, common good, freedom as non denomination, institutions over participation. ! 1:28! MACHIAVELLI: THE POPULIST DEMOCRAT - anti elitist, class based institutions, conflictual nature of politics, class awareness for accountability, 'tribunate for selfinterest resistance".! - There is oppositions between minimalist/elitist and idealist/participatory theories of democracy. Machiavelli offers a compromise, both realist and non defeatist. Democratic republicanism through institutional political empowerment of the socially unequal.!

- In order to counteract the oligarchic tendencies within democracy, we need to reinvent the Tribune. His proposal is for America but can also be used elsewhere. Class-bases contestatory institution: lottery, non wealthy citizens. Protection people/plebs from substantive encroachments. Powers to: veto, national referendum, impeachment.!

- McCormick's Machiavelli: Critical of elites social and political domination. 'Resents, despises and distrusts elites.. Encourages popular participation and agency. By designing institutions that are: class specific, popularly empowering, elite constraining. Raising class consciousness of common citizens. Formally enabling them to control the elite.!

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Thursday, 12 November 2020

- He is critical of the people's capacity for self government! - People depend on elite guidance: to structure their imagination, and to order them through good laws and adequate intuitions. This therefore enables their judgement, foresight, desire for freedom. The people counter elites excessive ambitions - it is guardian of freedom. Contestatory republican model.! - ROMAN DICTATORSHIP: Constant pull towards decomposition, corrupt cities need to be refunded. Extraordinary means required. Extra-constitutional and constitutional means. Legal and constitutional dictatorship. Making constituent power live in and through a renewed institutionalised conflictuality.

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