Machiavelli Day 1

In a thoughtful blog post, please compare and contrast your views of an ideal state leader and Machiavelli’s views.

Chapters 7-9, OHN

PRIOR TO CLASS ON Friday 9/17....In a comment to this post, write a ONE sentence summary for each of these chapters from OHN:
Altruism
Religion
Hope

Be thoughtful!

Chapters 3-6, OHN

Write a ONE sentence summary for each of these chapters from OHN: Development, Emergence, Aggression & Sex.

my ideas

NATION, : A geopolitical entity with an autonomous central government which has sovereign control over an area of land and that land's corresponding territorial waters extending 12 miles from shore, as defined by the 1982 United Nation's convention on the law of the sea. A nation must also possess a set of laws or legal codes, and borders distinguishing and separating it from from other nations. Nations usually, although not always (as in the case of the former USSR, Czechoslovakia, and United States) mainly consist of people with a common ethnicity or ethnic heritage, and usually (though exceptions do exist such as canada, and switzerland) have a main language. A nation may be, but does not necessarily have to be comprised of several states. In this case the national government usually shares power with that of the states, while maintaining supreme authority over them. A national government usually although not always (as in the first decade of the United State's existence) has the power to levy taxes on its residents, in exchange for its services providing for the common defense, civil service, and government welfare programs.
STATE: A semi autonomous sub-division of a nation, with its own government which is however, beneath in both power and size, the national government. National laws and penal codes may vary from state to state, however they usually maintain continuity with those of the national government, a state may or may not have the power to levy its own taxes, independently of those of the national government. The ethnicity and culture of individuals within states is usually more homogeneous then those of the nation as a whole (eg while Hong Kong is part of China, due to its century of British rule it has its own distinct culture, and language (While Hawaii is a state within the US, its people share their own distinct unique language and culture, which while now Americanized is distinctly Hawaiian, also see the "guido" culture in New Jersey.)
LIBERTY: Liberty is the ability or freedom, for individuals to make their own choices, and the freedom to live their lives as they see fit, without interference or obstruction from their government, or other people, (see the US bill of rights, a list of negative freedoms (ie: things the government can not do, and thus establishing liberty of that counties citizens. In this respect it is one of the most influential documents in the world with respect to liberty, and therefore a good example.)
JUSTICE: the most difficult word to describe on this list as it is perhaps the most subject to opinion, and the most abstract and least tangible. Justice is the concept of human morality; doing right, and making wrongs right through punishment of the offender. These concepts today known as wrong and right have been passed down through human evolution and today are referred to as natural law. This "natural law" and concept for human ethics and morality are the basis of justice which put most simply is both the mandate for all to follow this natural law, and the concept of punishment for those who do not.

Definitions

Nation

A body of people who have either been born or gravitated towards a certain geographical location. This group of people generally have similar backgrounds, beliefs and plans for their future; This idea is shown by this body of people electing to have a central government, which works to organize those in the Nation's ideas into a single cohesive unit.

State

A group of people who are organized by their specific, smaller geographical location within a Nation. Because of factors like population, culture and tradition the State's political set of "rules" may vary slightly from a Nation's, while still upholding the general law of the Nation to which it belongs. This state may have specific representatives to help explain the climate and specific needs of his or her specific state so to better the general Nation.

Liberty

Liberty is the idea that every citizen in the world should a life of happiness, the right to make his or her own decisions (and take action on those decisions as well as responsibility for those decisions) as well as a life of freedom.

Justice

Justice to me, equates to moral justice rather than lawful justice. Justice may not be described by a law or a government, but what universally seems "right". Justice is having fairness and equality in a society. If those in a society choose to go against this principle, they should be punished, and those who embody this quality should be rewarded. Justice is a system of good deeds vs. bad deeds, the good being recognized and the bad being reprimanded.

Definitions

NATION- A large group of people unified by similar history, beliefs, culture, language, and ideologies.

STATE- A certain entity of land that is organized under one government. It is not necessarily smaller or larger than a nation or country.

LIBERTY- An individual's right to act freely and independently under an authority, government, state, or nation.

JUSTICE- The concept of righteousness based on fairness, rationality, ethics, and law.

Definitions

Nation- a unified community that is run by a common political or social ideology
State- a region of a nation that is governed under the same principles and political theories as that nation, however has the capabilities to specialize and specify those principles
Liberty- one's own individual freedom from an over-ruling force and the ability to maintain that freedom
Justice- the moral fairness and lawfulness of the set of rules that a nation is governed under

Definitions

Nation: A society in a certain area or region that shares a common culture and identity.

State: A community of people within a region of the United States. Each state has its own individual government, but also answers to the United States government.

Liberty: The freedom to act as an individual within your state and nation.

Justice: Fairness promised to society. An enforced sense of right vs. wrong.

Definitions

Nation – an autonomous territory that is separated by a geographic or cultural border. A nation maintains its identity by having unique characteristics that separate it from any bordering nation.

State – a region that holds a separate identity but is not autonomous. States may represent individual sections of a nation and are connected by a central government.

Liberty – the freedom to not be regulated by a present authority. Liberty is controlled by the laws of a territory and is further defined by the perspective of justice within the land.

Justice – the concept of how morals and standards are equally enforced upon the population of a country. Justice is subjective because its interpretation will vary from different societies.

nation - society (usually with a common identity) whose government corresponds to a political theory (as in Marxism, republicanism) and is emblematic of the character of the people.

state - a state can stand on its own or be a part of a confederation (namely, the US), but its characteristics are similar: people are continuously involved in the government and are the source of political power, and often correspond to the demographics of the geographic area (in the US, Louisiana is different from New York).

liberty - independence from an authority whose power is not derived from the individual or people, the right to property, to voice your opinion, to act freely (but within the law) to pursue happiness and success.

Justice - The interpretation of positive law in the light of the fundamental law - a constitution, manifesto, etc. Justice is often correlative to the atmosphere of the time regarding the rights of people.

nation- a land governed by rulers divided into

state- a section of land of a nation

liberty- the privilege and freedom to make choices for yourself and have a say in the way the world around you is governed

justice- fairness, that every person has an equal chance to succeed and thrive based on their own hard work and merit

definitions

nation-a community that is united under a common goal or mentality.

state-smaller than a nation; an organized territory with a set boundry

liberty-the freedom to do anything without restrictions

justice-fairness as determined by a moral code set forth by a group of people that is standardized

Nation: a land and people governed by ruler(s) based on a certain set of values and laws.

State: a part of a nation under the authority of national government, however, the state can rule over the people in its providence on issues the national government relinquishes to the state.

Liberty: the freedom to develop as an individual person within reason -- freedom to speak, act, and pursue any profession.

Justice: the insurance that fairness and equality is maintained within a government system.

Liberty- the ability to act upon one's free will rather than being controlled by an oppressive force, for example government.

Justice- the idea of bringing the truth and the ideal of right and wrong forward to public view in order to punish the wronger doer and to enlighten the victim. Nations set up their own Justice system, which consists of a method of revealing the truth/trying the accused and a punishment system.

Nation- an entity that may or may not be comprised of several states or regions. A nation has its own government, regulations, school system, military, life style, and postal system. Some nations also have their own currency.

State- a section of a nation that may have its own set of laws and government in addition to the nation's federal government and laws.

Nation- an area under the leadership of a central government, with laws to provide order and stability and, usually, a sense of national identity
State- a section of a nation that abides by the same general rules as the larger nation and identifies with the nation as a whole, but with the possibility for some differences in regulation according to the unique characteristics of the region
Liberty- the ability to pursue any path in life within the boundaries of a fair justice system; if the system is not just, then the ability to make the necessary changes
Justice- the upholding of a set of core values and principles that permit a nation's residents to coexist peacefully and maintain their personal dignity and happiness

Define the following...

Please provide YOUR OWN definition to the following terms:
NATION
STATE
LIBERTY
JUSTICE

Have fun!

Post 1

nation- a group of people who live under the same government and abide by the same statutes of law in a general area.

state- a kind of sub-category of a nation or country that abides by the laws as well.

liberty- freedom. The ability to live, work, and thrive with sensible limitations. To live out of bondage.

justice- the choice to choose the right. To uphold the standards of the law.

Welcome to PT-Block 1

Greetings Thinkers!

I am so looking forward to starting our work. I hope that you will find that Political Theory is a course that will challenge the way that you think about...everything. Everything from human nature to how and why societies organize themselves. This blog will be a tool where we can share our reactions to the readings prior to dissecting them in class.

I am certain that this will be a different type of experience than the other courses you have taken in your earlier years in the History Department; you will, hopefully, gain an appreciation for some of the great thinkers of the Western world; and, we will surely have some fun along the way.

Again, welcome and I am looking forward to a a great year for each of you.
Mrs. Branigan