AHSEC CLASS 11 POLITICAL SCIENCE NOTES
PART B: POLITICAL THEORY
CHAPTER 11 -
POLITICAL THEORY: AN INTRODUCTION
1. What is Political Theory? What do we study in political theory?
Ans: Political theory examines the basic values, ideas and principles that shape constitutions, governments and social life in a systematic manner. It clarifies the meaning and significance of concepts such as freedom, equality, justice, democracy, secularism and so on. Thus the objective of political theory is to train citizens to think rationally about political questions and assess the political events of our time.
a) Political theory train citizens to think
rationally about political questions and assess the political events of our time.
b) Political theories present new meanings and
interpretations to political ideas or concepts in the new circumstances. For
example, the rights guaranteed by our Constitution are continually being
reinterpreted in response to new circumstances.
c) As our world changes, we may discover new
dimensions of freedom as well as new threats to freedom. Political theory examines
these and teach us about possible answers to these questions.
Also Read Dynamic Tutorials Notes - Political Science Class 11:
AHSEC Class 11 Political Science Part B - Political Theory Complete Notes, Prepared By Naveen Mahato
CHAPTER 12-
FREEDOM
1.
What is Freedom?
Ans.:- Freedom in its
restricted sense is absence of constraints. But in our social life some forms
of social constraints are necessary. In its positive dimension freedom is about
expanding the ability of the people to freely express themselves and develop their
potential. In this sense freedom is a condition in which people can develop
their creativity and capabilities.
2. What is called Harm Principle?
Ans.:- John Stuart Mill in
his essay ‘On Liberty’ distinguish the actions of an individual into two- Self-regarding
actions and Other regarding actions
A) Self-regarding
actions- Self-regarding actions are those actions that have consequences only for the individual
himself. Thus, state or any other external authority has no power to interfere
on these actions.
B) Other regarding actions- Other regarding
actions are those actions that have consequences for others. Thus, the state can impose
certain constrain on these actions.
3. What's the difference between Negative Liberty and
Positive Liberty?
Ans.:- In political
theory, there are two dimensions of freedom as Negative Liberty and Positive
Liberty.
a) Negative Liberty- Negative liberty considered
freedom as absence of external constraints. Negative liberty seeks to define an
area in which the individual could do whatever he wished do. This is an area in
which no external authority can interfere. In other words, human beings need an
inviolable area of non-interference in which the individual can express himself
or herself.
b) Positive Liberty- Positive Liberty
recognize the relationship between individual and society and concern that one can be free only in
society. Positive Liberty concerned that positive conditions in material,
political and social domains help an individual to develop his or her capabilities.
Thus people must have adequate material resources to pursue their wants and
needs. They must have voice in the decision making process. Then only laws
reflect their choices.
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Objective type questions
1.
Who said that equality was
as crucial as freedom?
Ans.:- Karl Marx
2.
Who fought against
apartheid policy of South Africa?
Ans.:- Nelson Mandela
3.
Who was the author of the
book ‘Long Walk to Freedom’.
Ans.:- Nelson Mandela
4.
Who was the author of the
book ‘Freedom from Fear’?
Ans.:- Aung San Suu Kyi
5.
Who made the famous
statement “Swaraj is my birth right and I shall have it.”?
Ans.:- Tilak
6.
Who wrote the book ‘Hind
Swaraj’ in 1909?
Ans.:- Mahatma Gandhi
7.
Who was the author of the
novel ’The Satanic Verses’?
Ans.:- Salman Rushdie
8.
Who was the author of the
work ‘On Liberty’?
Ans.:- John Stuart Mill
CHAPTER 13-
EQUALITY
1.What is meant by Equality? Explain the three dimensions of
Equality.
Ans.:- Equality means all
human beings have an equal worth regardless of their color, gender, race, or
nationality. All human beings deserve equal consideration and respect. Hence they
are entitled to same rights and opportunities to develop their skills and
talents.
There are mainly three
dimensions of equality which we need make a just and equal society. These are: a) Political Equality- Political equality
means that all citizens have an equal voice in the government and equal access to all offices of
the government. It involves right to vote, right to contest elections, right to
hold the public offices, right to criticize the government etc. These rights are enable the citizens to
participate in the affairs of the state.
b) Social Equality- Social equality
means that all
are enjoying equal status and equality of opportunity in the society. There is
no discrimination to any sections of the society on the ground of religion,
caste, gender, race, wealth, color and so on. Social equality concerned that
inequalities are the creation of the society. So the state should have
significant role to prevent discrimination against neglected sections in the
society.
c) Economic Equality- Economic equality means all should
enjoy the wealth of the state equally. It means economic resources of a country
should not be concentrated in few hands. It is argued that the state should ensure
a minimum standard of living to all and equal opportunities for all. It
involves equal opportunity in education and employment, equal pay for equal
work, abolition of poverty etc.
2.What is socialism?
Ans: Socialism is emerged
as a reaction against the inequalities existing in the capitalist economy. The
main concern of Socialism is to minimize existing inequality and to distribute
resource justly. Although advocates of socialism are not entirely opposed to
the market, they favor some kind of government regulation, planning and control
over certain key areas such as education and health care.
3. How can we promote Equality?
Ans: We can promote
Equality as follows:
a)
Official
Establishment of Equality- Inequalities can be abolished by law. For example,
Indian Constitution abolishes the practice of untouchability.
b)
Equality through Differential Treatment- Sometimes formal
equality is
not sufficient to realise the principle of equality. Hence, it is necessary to
treat people differently. Certain differences between people may have to be
taken into account for this purpose. Some countries have used policies of
affirmative action to enhance equality of opportunity. In our country we have
relied on the policy of reservations.
4. What is meant by Affirmative Action?
Ans: Affirmative action
means positive measure taken to increase the representation of disadvantaged
sections in areas in which they are underrepresented. Most policies of
affirmative action are aimed to correct the cumulative effect of past
inequalities. Affirmative action can
however take many forms from preferential spending such as scholarships to
special consideration for admissions to educational institutions and jobs. In
India, we have adopted a policy reservation in education and employment to
provide equality of opportunity to deprived sections.
Objective type questions
1.
What was the slogan of
French revolutionaries?
Ans: ‘Liberty, Equality
and Fraternity’
CHAPTER 14-
SOCIAL JUSTICE
1.
What is justice? Explain
the three principles of justice.
Ans: Justice implies
fulfillment of the legitimate expectations of the individual under the existing
law and to provide him protection against any violation of his rights. The
essence of justice is common good which involves the well-being of all people.
Ensuring the well-being of the people includes giving each person his due.
In order to maintain justice in the society
the government should harmonies following three principles. A) Equal Treatment for Equal-
All individuals share deserve equal rights and equal treatment. Therefore, some
of the
important rights such as civil rights, political rights, social rights etc.
should be deserved for all. The principle of treating equals equally would
require that individual should be judged on the basis of their work and actions
and not on the ground of class, caste, race or gender. Therefore, if two
persons from different castes perform the same kind of work, they should
receive the same kind of reward. Otherwise it would be unjust and unfair.
B) Proportionate
Justice- Equal treatment would not be fair in all situations. It is unfair if
we reward workers equally when different jobs require different skills and efforts without
considering risks involved. In such cases justice would mean rewarding people
in proportion to the effort, skills and possible dangers involved in that
work.
C) Recognition of
Special Needs- In certain cases, equal treatment and proportionate
justice may not enough to ensure justice in the society. It is not fair to treat
deprived classes equally with socially and economically forward people.
Physical disabilities, social backwardness, age, lack of access to good
education or health care etc. are usual factors considered for special needs.
So, we should consider the special needs of people while distributing rewards
or duties. For example, Indian constitution provides reservation for people
belongings to SC/ST to maintain equal justice.
2. What is meant by ‘just distribution’?
Ans: In some societies
serious social and economic inequalities are prevailing. In such a society,
social justice demands not only equal treatment in terms of laws and policies
but also equality of life conditions and opportunities. It concerns just
distribution of goods and services among different sections in the society. So
it is necessary to redistribute some of the important resources of the society.
This is known as just distribution. This is seen as necessary for each person
to be able to pursue his/her objectives and express himself.
3. Explain John Rawls’s theory of justice.
Ans: John Rawls argues
that the only way we can arrive at a fair and just rule is if we imagine
ourselves to be in a situation in which we have to make decisions about how
society should be organised although we do not know which position we would
ourselves occupy in that society.
Rawls argues that if we do
not know who we will be and what options would be available to us in the future
society, we will be likely to support a decision about the rules and organization
of that future society which would be fair for all the members.
Rawls describes this as
thinking under a ‘veil of ignorance’. He expects that in such a situation of
complete ignorance about our possible position and status in society, each
person would decide in the way they generally do, that is, in terms of their
own interests. But since no one knows who he would be, and what is going to
benefit him, each will envisage the future society from the point of view of
the worst-off. When people think under a veil of ignorance they think from the
perspective of the most disadvantages and the weakest sections of the society.
It will ensure that laws and policies will benefit society as a whole.
Objective type questions
1.
Who was the author of the
book ‘The Republic’?
Ans: Plato
2.
Who was the author of the
book “The theory of Justice”?
Ans: John Rawls
3.
The concept “veil of
ignorance” related to-
Ans: John Rawls
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