Intro to Political Science - Assignment Example

It is rational to argue that the rich and corporations receive a lot from the government while what they contribute to society is minimal because of personal interests at the expense of others. 2. Jean Jacques stated, "Man is free yet everywhere is in chains." According to the professor, what does Rousseau mean by this statement? Why is the professor passionate about personal liberties? Rousseau coined the element of social contract in which he draws the ground for legitimate political order.

In this argument, Rousseau argued that man is born free and everywhere he is in chains which implies that man thinks that he is the ruler or master of others but remains in bondage than they are. He argued that the state of nature was a barbaric and primitive condition which lacked morality or law. Human beings left this state for necessity and benefits of cooperation. As society progressed, division of labor and private property needed humanity to adopt institutions of law. In the degenerate stage of society, man is prone to competition with other people in society while at the same time becoming dependent on them.

This pressure in life threatened his freedom and survival. That is why Rousseau argued that man is born free but every where he is in chains. 3. How was the government evolved since it was established by the founding fathers? Please describe both similarities and differences in government today versus in its original state. Originally, the U.S had a de jure form of government when it was first founded by people like Abraham Lincoln and Madison. Today, the government has evolved and adopted de facto kind of government where by resources are shared by equity and not by law as compared to earlier government where distribution of resources was by law.

Despite these differences, they reveal a common quality where the rights of citizens were respected by the government. Original government was established by republican form of government with the limitations placed on their servants, in this case, it meant that the people were the government not their servants. It has evolved in that those behind the scenes prepare and place their people in office who usurp power at the expense of the citizens. The similarity in this case is that the government has sovereign power which is exercised by the citizens either directly or indirectly. 4. Why has political efficacy been on the decline?

What do you believe is contributing to this malaise Political efficacy is the faith and trust that citizens have in the government and their conviction that they can comprehend and influence political decisions. Political efficacy has been declining due to the fact that people are less involved in politics since the governments have proven to be ineffective since people’s vote do not count at all, people lack civil rights and they are not allowed to express their views or opinions freely. The decline of political efficacy is associated with the rise of money in political affairs.

Therefore, there is failure by the government to control arena of campaign finance which allows wealthy people and Corporations to silence voices of individual citizens making the public lose trust and faith in the political system. 5. Which of the amendment(s) in the Bill of Rights deals with liberty?