Political and Racial Tolerance                 Political Science 491                                   Mark Peffley

 

LECTURE OUTLINE I:

DEMOCRATIC THEORIES AND POLITICAL TOLERANCE

(Warning: this is a “bare-bones” outline of class discussions, not a substitute for taking notes)

 

I.     Political Tolerance and Civil Liberties

 

A.  Political tolerance defined (“a willingness to permit the expression of ideas or interests we oppose”), distinguished from social tolerance

B.   Why is political tolerance an important value for democracy?  Various arguments.

C.  Examples of political intolerance in U.S. and abroad

D.    Threats to political tolerance and civil liberties from masses and elites

1.     Political tolerance as a “hard” principle for public to learn and put into practice.

2.     Political incentives for elites to compromise civil oiberties

E.   The limits of tolerance (e.g., regulating "hate speech"?)

 

II.  Democratic Theories and Political Tolerance

A.   Representative Democratic Theory (e.g., J. S. Mill, John Locke)

 

1.    Background:  18th and 19th century England

2.    Values:   Autonomy and human development

3.    View of Human Nature:  Sophistication of the ordinary citizen, mutability of human nature

4.    Solutions to Intolerance/Repression: Enlightenment through mass education and political participation.

 

B.  Elitist/Guardian Democratic Theory (e.g., Joseph Schumpeter, Wlater Lippmann, Plato)

 

1.    Background:  Lessons of authoritarian rule in 20th and 21st centuries

2.    Values:  Minimal choice/democracy and political stability.

3.    View of Human Nature:  Masses inherently unsophisticated, anti-democratic/authoritarian, and fixed nature. 

4.    Solutions to Intolerance/Repression: Passivity of the masses, elite guardians who support democracy, civil liberties and minority rights.

 

C.  Federalist/Madisonian Democracy: 

1.    Background:  Concerns with majority tyranny and intolerance in the Colonies

2.    Values:  Liberty, Distrust of factions and majority tyranny

3.    View of Human Nature:  Masses and elites are rational, though selfish, self-interested, and prone to intolerance.

4.    Solutions to Intolerance:  distrust masses and elites; place faith in democratic institutions (e.g., Constitution, Supreme Court, Bill of Rights, dispersion of power) and pluralism to condition tolerance and to prevent repression. Pluralistic Intolerance:  while political intolerance among the masses is likely to be high, the diversity of target groups makes it difficult to focus intolerance on any one group; thus, repression is less likely.

 

D.  Topics for Further Discussion

1.    How do the three theories guide the empirical study of political tolerance?  What expectations do the theories provide us about the sources and levels of political tolerance among masses and elites? What "solutions" to intolerance and political repression do the theories prescribe? How can we “test” these “hypotheses” with the available survey data?

2.    Pros and cons of elite guardianship