Syllabus and Updates

I have updated the Syllabus up to the midterm. I want to leave open the possibility of changing course once we see how things go.

Let me apologize for all the fumbling around I did in class looking for quotes. I took the wrong volume of Orwell with me this morning.

It is important to note that Orwell’s point isn’t that Gandhi’s methods are ineffective, simply that they might not work with a power less liberal than Great Britain:

“It is difficult to see how Gandhi's methods could be applied in a country where opponents of the regime disappear in the middle of the night and are never heard of again. Without a free press and the right of assembly, it is impossible not merely to appeal to outside opinion, but to bring a mass movement into being, or even to make your intentions known to your adversary. Is there a Gandhi in Russia at this moment? And if there is, what is he accomplishing?”

The other main point is that being “human” and being a saint are two different and, ultimately, incompatible things. Here is the passage from the essay on Gandhi I was looking for:

“The essence of being human is that one does not seek perfection, that one is sometimes willing to commit sins for the sake of loyalty, that one does not push asceticism to the point where it makes friendly intercourse impossible, and that one is prepared in the end to be defeated and broken up by life, which is the inevitable price of fastening one's love upon other human individuals. doubt alcohol, tobacco, and so forth, are things that a saint must avoid, but sainthood is also a thing that human beings must avoid.”


Let’s also keep in mind the distinction that we drew in class discussion between rationality in the economist’s sense of choosing the means most likely to achieve a given set of ends, and rationality in the sense of having reasonable ends (or goals) in the first place. This is a key concept in the textbook and one that that lies behind most all of the authors' analysis of politics.

As we begin reading the book, keep in mind that even though this is a textbook, we want to read it critically. That is to say, we don’t want to take their word for anything. They won’t lie, but they may not tell us the whole truth, and what they may sincerely believe to be true might not be so.

Our text has a very specific take on political science, not so much in the sense of being liberal or conservative (though I suspect you will catch which side of that divide they are on soon enough), but in the methodolocial sense. They are writing from the point of view of the dominant school of thought in American political science which is commonly known as “Rational Choice.” It is an attempt to apply the sort of reasoning that grows out of economics to politics, particularly in the sense of “means-ends” rationality that we discussed today in class. Keep this in mind as you are reading.

Feel free to focus on whatever strikes a chord with you in the reading in your reflection papers. Remember that I want one per week from each of you. You can post for any day you please, but it must be posted by 6:00 to count. Also, try to read what your classmates write as well.

Finally, make sure your name is on your posting. The computer only puts up your email name.