Just read another essay from Federalist Papers. In the essay, Madison argues for large and diverse republic, however, there is also a call for balance. The writers wanted a republic diverse enough to prevent faction but with enough commonality to maintain cohesion among the state. I have two questions
a) Given that America is getting more and more diverse, would this balance still hold?
b) Are the benefits of being large republic being outweighed by diversity in India?
Thursday, December 20, 2012
Getting Started
The more one reads, the more one becomes aware of the gaps in his or her knowledge I have been an avid reader since I remember. However, I never developed a regular habit of writing. That meant that I have always had plethora of thoughts swirling in my head but have never been able to build them into constructive thoughts or arguments.
This blog is an attempt to capture my thoughts in a systematic manner. My hope is that one day I would be able to build a coherent story out of these. I will try to be as regular as possible; in fact, one of my resolutions for the year is to update my diary periodically. The subject matter would be comprised of number of subjects - philosophy, economics, politics, business, psychology. It could also be derived from conversations I have with friends or acquaintances.
Let me start by outlining the thoughts that have been on top of my mind today. As usual, I spent the day reading a number of articles on various news sites - Economist, NYT, Time etc. In addition, I read 10 essays from the Federalist papers. The United States government has always fascinated me. Coming from a non-functioning democracy like India, I have always tried to understand the reasons behind the smooth (relatively) functioning of US democracy. The constitution of the US definitely plays a significant role in it. It is evident from reading the Federalist Papers that the writers of American constitution were deeply 'realist' in their world view and highly skeptical of human nature. They designed the US institutions in a way that they could withstand the worst vagaries of human nature. I know that the Indian constitution is derived from both the British and the US constitutions. And I know that the Indian statesmen who designed the constitution were great intellectuals with a lot of practical experience as well.
What are the reasons behind the differences in effectiveness of government functioning between the two countries? Is it because the Indian constitution lacks the kind of checks and balances that are required for smooth functioning of government? Or is it because the government does not adhere to the provisions of the constitution? I am not sure of the answer yet and plan to dig further to find out the answer. In any case, I am going to make a list of all the important books that I need to read to be able to understand the merits/demerits of various forms of governments. I have realized how powerful original texts of some of the philosophers are. Here is what I have in mind for now:
Rousseau - The Social Contract
Montesquieu - The Spirit of the Laws
Tocqueville - Democracy in America
John Stuart Mill - On Liberty
Adam Smith - The Wealth of Nations
This blog is an attempt to capture my thoughts in a systematic manner. My hope is that one day I would be able to build a coherent story out of these. I will try to be as regular as possible; in fact, one of my resolutions for the year is to update my diary periodically. The subject matter would be comprised of number of subjects - philosophy, economics, politics, business, psychology. It could also be derived from conversations I have with friends or acquaintances.
Let me start by outlining the thoughts that have been on top of my mind today. As usual, I spent the day reading a number of articles on various news sites - Economist, NYT, Time etc. In addition, I read 10 essays from the Federalist papers. The United States government has always fascinated me. Coming from a non-functioning democracy like India, I have always tried to understand the reasons behind the smooth (relatively) functioning of US democracy. The constitution of the US definitely plays a significant role in it. It is evident from reading the Federalist Papers that the writers of American constitution were deeply 'realist' in their world view and highly skeptical of human nature. They designed the US institutions in a way that they could withstand the worst vagaries of human nature. I know that the Indian constitution is derived from both the British and the US constitutions. And I know that the Indian statesmen who designed the constitution were great intellectuals with a lot of practical experience as well.
What are the reasons behind the differences in effectiveness of government functioning between the two countries? Is it because the Indian constitution lacks the kind of checks and balances that are required for smooth functioning of government? Or is it because the government does not adhere to the provisions of the constitution? I am not sure of the answer yet and plan to dig further to find out the answer. In any case, I am going to make a list of all the important books that I need to read to be able to understand the merits/demerits of various forms of governments. I have realized how powerful original texts of some of the philosophers are. Here is what I have in mind for now:
Rousseau - The Social Contract
Montesquieu - The Spirit of the Laws
Tocqueville - Democracy in America
John Stuart Mill - On Liberty
Adam Smith - The Wealth of Nations
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)