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Ideas for 'Thinking About Mathematics', 'Second Treatise of Government' and 'Intro to 'Self-Representational Consciousness''

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2 ideas

24. Political Theory / D. Ideologies / 5. Democracy / a. Nature of democracy
The people have supreme power, to depose a legislature which has breached their trust [Locke]
     Full Idea: There remains still in the people a supreme power to remove or alter the legislative, when they find the legislative act contrary to the trust reposed in them.
     From: John Locke (Second Treatise of Government [1690], 149)
     A reaction: This seems to be the most important aspect of representative democracy. It is not the power of people to make decisions, but the power to get rid of bad rulers.
Unanimous consent makes a united community, which is then ruled by the majority [Locke]
     Full Idea: When any number of men have, by the consent of every individual, made a community, they have thereby made that community into one body, with a power to act as one body, which is only by the will and determination of the majority.
     From: John Locke (Second Treatise of Government [1690], 096)
     A reaction: This seems to be presume democracy without discussion, although the formation of the community is by universal consent, which is the 'general will'. Rousseau has the constitution also made almost unanimously, not by a majority.