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At the same time, democracy allows people ith different views come together on a particular subject they share an opinion, state their mind and make a positive change.
Q6. What does De Tocqueville mean by 'artificial solidarity'?
Artificial solidarity resembles a tailored feeling of solidarity based on a foundation that is not real and one which was applied to a society without real background that would support it in a true manner. It resembles an individual that is pious in clothes and behavior, but his house is full of luxurious belongings.
Q7. Why should democrats remember the 'utility of forms'?
Forms are tools through which barriers are set and rules are created. In a system that allows people to use their rights to freedom, it is important to have such forms and to respect them.
Q8. What is 'self-interest rightly understood'? Where does De Tocqueville derive this idea from? Why is it so important?
The term refers to the right of every individual to follow his own interests but at the same time to understand that his interests must not make any pressure on the happiness of the person next to him. This is important because it points out the limits of one's happiness and the border of the...
People have the right to understand in their own way their interest, but they must not hinder the freedom and rights of other people.
Q9. What are the dangers faced by democracies, according to De Tocqueville?
One of the most important dangers to democracy is the love for equality. Another one is the doctrine of sovereignty as well as the structure of the state, through its legislative, executive powers. Without important points of control, these elements that define democracy can become serious dangers to it.
Q10. De Tocqueville's predictions for American indigenous people were pretty dire, and were similar to predictions about Australian indigenous people. Yet both have survived as peoples. Is there something about democracy which De Tocqueville overlooks which might account for this?
De Tocqueville fails to take into account the power of the people in a democracy and the will of success. Democracy does not necessarily need to entangle a system of complex institutions or a form of government applicable to both a country and a group of indigenous people. The principles may be similar but adapted to a smaller group may work to benefit the entire group and not create an aristocracy or a tyranny
Although De Tocqueville incorrectly stereotypes Americans as being inordinately serious in Book 3, Chapter 15, he pinpoints the essence of the typical American: "Americans, who almost always preserve a staid demeanor and a frigid air, nevertheless frequently allow themselves to be borne away, far beyond the bounds of reason, by a sudden passion or a hasty opinion and sometimes gravely commit strange absurdities." De Tocqueville calls this "ignorance which
Alexis De Tocqueville In every era of equality each man looks for his beliefs within his self and in the era of equality men are unconnected of one another, isolated, and frail. (Vol: 2; Section 1: Chapter: 3) In a democratic society, the citizens are extremely defenseless, however the state, that characterize them all and holds them all its clutches, is extremely authoritative. In no other form of administration, citizens are
Tocqueville Alexis de Tocqueville was an aristocratic young Frenchman with vaguely liberal sentiments who wondered if the new democracy in the United States had any ideas that could be applied to France and other European countries. His real audience was therefore the middle and upper classes in Europe, although his book never became a popular classic or standard university text there like it did in the United States. Indeed, few people
What he found, in contrast to Europe, was that the American social ethic was not based on aristocracy, and in fact Americans seemed to have a deep-seated fear and loathing of European titles (at least the middle and common classes). Instead, Americanism was based on a system in which hard work and money-making (e.g. aggressive capitalism) was the dominant ethic of the time. In this period of radical change and
Alexis de Tocqueville is best known for his development of political theories addressing equality in the social order and the way that revolutions were imminent in states where the masses were controlled by the aristocracy. The French political thinker had observed the benefits associated with equality being present in a community and linked this concept to the French Revolution in an attempt to demonstrate that the general public is inclined
De Tocqueville When concept takes on many different meanings it probably means nothing. One of the things that it is becoming apparent is that the terms "public sphere" and "civil sphere" appear to take on different meanings when described by different writers. Nonetheless, these terms and the nuances in what they represent depending on the writer can move beyond false universals and thinking that is entrenched in rigid definitions (Edwards 2004). Alexis