Agenda - Today: What is government?

Lecture

    - What is government?
    - What is politics?

• Overview of Inquizitives and Textbook

Agenda - Next class:

• Before next class:

    - Read the Declarations of Independence before class! (US, Texas, other - in Canvas Module 1 Readings)

• Lecture: Origins of Government

    - Why do we need it?
    - Where did it come from? Pure Theory (or is it?)
    - Where did it come from? Simple but realistic theory
    - Why both concepts matter

• First Top Hat Quiz

    - Lectures from this week
    - Course Policies 
    - What is government? 
    - What is politics?

Announcements

• Reminder start working on:

    - CASA registration
    - Module 0
    - Chapter 1 in both books

Introduction to Government

Introduction Government: Questions to consider

Introduction Government: Questions to consider

Introduction Government: Questions to consider

What is The State?

Other organizations - Type 1

• Family

    - What does it have in common?
    - What is different?

Other organizations

• Family

• Church

    - What does it (government) have in common?
    - What is different?

Other organizations

• Family

• Church

• Community organizations (voluntary)

    - What does it have in common?
    - What is different?

Other organizations

• Family

• Church

• Community organizations (voluntary) and Charities

    - What does it have in common?
    - What is different?

Other organizations

• Family

• Church

• Community organizations (voluntary) and Charities

• Businesses and The Market

    - What does it have in common?
    - What is different?

Other organizations - Type 2

• Organized crime

    - What does it have in common?
    - What is different?

Other organizations

• Organized crime

• vigilantes

    - What does it have in common?
    - What is different?

Other organizations

• Organized crime

• vigilantes

• terrorists

    - What does it have in common?
    - What is different?

What is “the state”?

Drug Free Gun Free School Zone

What is “the state”?

Severa Federal, State, and Local Criminal Penalties

What is “the state”?

The organized, coercive use of violent force commonly accepted as legitimate

• Organized
• Coercive
• violent force
• Legitimacy

What is “the state”?

• Organized

    - Not just an individual or small group

What is “the state”?

The organized, coercive use of violent force commonly accepted as legitimate

• Organized

• Coercive

    - Intended to change behavior 

What is “the state”?

The organized, coercive use of violent force commonly accepted as legitimate

• Organized

• Coercive

• violent force

    - Not economic power but physical violent force
    - The state's economic power is based on taxation and regulation - still physical violent force

What is “the state”?

The organized, coercive use of violent force commonly accepted as legitimate

• Organized

• Coercive

• violent force

• Legitimacy

    - Commonly accepted as the rightful government or at least "the only game in town"

What is “the state”?

Introduction Government: Questions to consider

What is politics?

• Politics is the process of making collective decisions in the context of…

What is politics?

• Politics is the process of making collective decisions in the context of…

The State or government.

Politics is powerful

• Immense power to achieve good ends when it unites us to common goals consensually
• Immense power to do incredible harm when it imposes severe criminal penalties inappropriately

Politics is powerful

George Washington

Politics is powerful

Frederick Douglass

To think about this semester

John Wick

To think about this semester

Graphic Credits

• Metrorail, Houston Public Works, and PGH Hall photos from their respective institutions

• Frederick Douglass from Marc Perrone on X.com

• George Washington Quotes from Justin Reddy on X.com

• School Zone sign from Norton Publishers

• John Wick from Lionsgate Films

Authorship and License

• Author: Tom Hanna

• Website: tomhanna.me

• License: This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

Tom Leard Hanna