Class Notes 4 You

Intro: The idea of justice occupies centre stage in political philosophy. John Rawls famously described justice as ‘the first virtue of social institutions’. He was a social liberal and an egalitarian. context:  Behavioualism could not explain rise of feminist move, black rights movement, etc. In this context Rawls theory of justice came as a respite in 1971 and led to revival of political philosophy as a discipline. His theory of justice: Social contract entered into by people who are rational,moral and mutually disinterested and in original position and under veil of ignorance(meaning they know nothing about themselves or others but know the basic rules of a society  )would be a result of rational debate among rational people to arrive at rational principles of Justice for distribution of primary goods ( primary goods are those that help individuals achieve their desired goals in life. These include “rights, liberties, opportunities, income and...

Intro- Political Science is a social science dealing with systems of governance and power, and the analysis of political  activities, political thought, political behavior, and associated constitutions and laws. Pol sci ki bhar bhar k tareef: It stands apart bcoz of its utility. Aristotle calls pol sci as master science because: Its all encompassing character in which it deals with economy,politics,governance,society,law,etc thus it covers diverse spheres of human lives. Greeks never looked at politics in a compartmentalized manner Since it deals with justice  it automatically becomes architectonic . It is dynamic and flexible which can be seen in behavioral and post behavioral movements The diversity of ideologies highlights the discipline’s tolerant culture. Conclusion-Aristotle on political science- It is no small matter we are discussing. we are discussing how we ought to live. Various approaches to study Political Science: Traditional- before WW2 in Europe: Philosophic...

Intro: Amongst the galaxy of thinkers in modern India, Dr Bhimrao Ramji Ambedkar stands on a pedestal quite different from others. This is because his life was a fight for the emancipation of dalits. His ideas: Critic of caste system. acc to him caste system does not make even economic sense. It forces  person to perform a task irrespective of his interest/talents. says w/o exogamy fraternity cannot develop and w/o fraternity nation cannot develop Caste is not a division of labor but of laborer Talks about Annihilation of caste educate.agitate.organise. for Ambedkar social justice in India cannot bypass the concern of bahujan samaj. for Gandhi and Marx, state was an instrument of coercion, but for Ambekdar state was an instrument of affirmative action (state as a source of virtue - Socrates and Aristotle) On social justice Dalits represented The most depressed section of Indian society. Acc to Pareto's circulation of elites, power has traditionally resided between foxes and lions ,...

Intro: S S A Khan was an Islamic scholar ,reformist and philosopher of 19th century.   Context: During his time his community was passing through the phase of frustration and stagnation as British viewed Muslims with scepticism due to their active involvement in 1857 mutiny His ideas: Said hold Quran in one hand and book of science in other Wrote book- asbab-i-bagawat-e-hind in which he wrote about causes of revolt 1857 and gave instances where Muslims had helped save British lives. Asked Muslim Youth to leave the idea of British resistance and focus on getting Western education and scientific knowledge Wrote pamphlet- loyal Mohammedans of India in which he promised the loyalty of muslims towards the british Magzine- tehzeeb ul akhlaaq in which he criticized out dated customs of Islam Gave modernist interpretation of Quran Started AMU Indian institute gazette- a scientific journal Originator of two nation theory: Initially called Hindus and Muslims as two eyes of a beautiful bride ...

Intro: was a lawyer, a freedom fighter and one of the most defining personality of the twentieth century. Inspired by John Ruskin's unto this last concept of Sarvodaya . components of Sarvodaya:  bread labour land reforms tursteeship: on the lines of Aristotle who proposed single ownership but common use. Acc to Marxist scholars trusteeship is to prevent any kind of revolution. It says capitalists should keep the amount for his needs and for running his industry but rest should be contributed for well being of the society. This is the basis of CSR. MN Roy projected Gandhi as the leader of bourgeoisie class.  revival of cottage industries Can be called as Gandhian socialism. 2.Rousseau and Edward carpenter on modernity  G K Gokhale who emphasized bringing ethics into politics( spiritualisation of politics). Henry David Thoreau on civil disobedience. On rights Nishkama Karma Rights are inherent in duties performed in embryonic sense- Bhagvat Geeta rights and duties are neit...

Intro: Was an Indian philosopher,yogi,poet and nationalist belonging to the extremist brand of nationalism  Context: was dissatisfied with early nationalists who believed British rule was a blessing in disguise and a source of modernization. his series of article titled new lamps for the old  criticized the moderates: foreign rule can never be a blessing, not even in disguise foreign rule stops the natural evolution of the nation. He said India as a nation is not dependent on Congress pandals On nationalism: Inspired from neo vedantism of Vivekananda based on Humanism and Universalism, two cardinal features of Indian spiritual thought. BC Chatterjee’s Anandmath Synthesied herder(cultural nationalism)+Hegel(state is a march of god on earth)with Viv+Chatterjee Ghosh was great synthesizer of rationality of west and spirituality of east. According to Ghosh, nation has a soul, a divine entity. Challenged the notion  that India was only a geographical  ...

Intro: M. N. Roy was an Indian revolutionary, radical activist, political theorist as well as a noted philosopher in the 20th century. His ideas: Represents rationalist tradition in Indian Political Thought said liberalism and communism have only fulfilled partial needs of man Radical humanism Humanism is the philosophy that places humans at the centre of all analysis. It approaches life from the assumption of sovereignty of man His ideas on RH are based on his thesis -New Humanism- A manifesto published in 1947. Inspired from scientific materialism of Marx, Ethics of Spinoza and Secular politics of Locke Three elements of RH- MRF Rationality - of thought Freedom- Freedom which he explains as the victory over struggle for existence Morality- emerges from rational desire of harmonious and mutually beneficial social relations it has Both critical and constructive aspect The critical aspect consists of describing the inadequacies of communism, including the economic interpretation of hist...

Judicial Backlog NJDG— 2.9 3 cr in Sub-ord court, 49 lakh in HCs, 58000 in SC— 3.5 cr ( 88% in lower jud) Reasons for Backlog Understaffed— 20  judges/ml ( 120th LC -50 judges/ml) +  38% vacant in HCs Less working hours—  Judges Vacation + Frequent Adjournments Lack of court management system-- Lack of modernisation and digitisation   Malimath committee—  Reason for backlog are—  Archaic laws requiring judicial interpretation  Litigation explosion-- PILs Unnecessary adjournments Indiscriminate resort to writ petition  Increased Constitutional awareness + New rights granted to Public-- RTI, PILs SC entering into Uncharted territory—  SLP, J.A Burden of Govt cases— Centre & State Govt responsible for 46% backlog  Low Budgetary Allocation leads to poor Infra— only 0.09% of GDP Impacts of Judicial Backlog  Soli Sorabjee—  “Justice delayed will not only be justice denied, it will be the rule of law destroye...