Tag Archives: federalist

Moderation and Justice in Alexander Hamilton’s Federalist No. 1

I’m looking at Federalist No. 1 right now to see how Hamilton elaborates on the following: It has been frequently remarked that it seems to have been reserved to the people of this country, by their conduct and example, to decide the important question, whether societies of men are really capable or not of establishing …

April 25, 2009 – 11:42 pm | By ashok | Posted in politics | Tagged | Comments (0)

Briefly Noted: That “Office of the President-Elect” Thing is a Disgrace (cf. Federalist 70)

This is a rant. Do I think anything bad will actually happen because of this stupid office? Not really. Do I think it is a good thing? NO. I’m not saying this to be anti-Obama. He will be my President, and I’m happy to have a President.  Furthermore, this terrible idea of an “Office of …

November 8, 2008 – 7:02 pm | By ashok | Posted in politics | Tagged , , , | Comments (9)

Creating Statesmen, Part Final: The Rebirth of the Humanities

Madison in Federalist 10 writes: As long as the reason of man continues fallible, and he is at liberty to exercise it, different opinions will be formed. As long as the connection subsists between his reason and his self-love, his opinions and his passions will have a reciprocal influence on each other; and the former …

October 7, 2008 – 10:19 pm | By ashok | Posted in academia, education, politics | Tagged , | Comments (0)

On a Section of Alexander Hamilton’s Federalist 84 (Part 2): What is a Proper Sense of Right?

Part 1 – Part 2 – Federalist 84 itself Paragraph 7. Hamilton notes that even though the State constitution talks about “common law” and precedent, the legislature in New York holds ultimate sway, and perhaps New Yorkers have fewer rights than they think they have. Paragraph 8. The first step in arguing that a “bill …

April 1, 2008 – 5:09 am | By ashok | Posted in politics | Tagged , , , | Comments (1)

On a Section of Alexander Hamilton’s Federalist 84 (Part 1): What exactly is the purpose of a Bill of Rights?

A copy of Federalist 84 for your convenience. My apologies for the length of this – it got out of hand pretty quickly and I thought there was enough here that was important so I published it anyway. Part 1 – Part 2 Paragraphs 1 & 2. Hamilton notes in dealing with “miscellaneous points” regarding …

April 1, 2008 – 2:32 am | By ashok | Posted in politics | Tagged , , , | Comments (0)

On the First Paragraph of Federalist 10: From Faction to Freedom to Property

Federalist 9 was discussed earlier in this blog; the complete text of Federalist 10 is here. I am only writing on the first paragraph of Federalist 10, and this may undergo major revision later. I’m not sure about a few of my arguments – 1. On the significance of faction: Madison begins by setting up …

February 14, 2008 – 6:55 am | By ashok | Posted in politics | Tagged , , , | Comments (1)

"Stupendous Fabrics:" Notes on Alexander Hamilton’s Federalist No. 9

Outline Federalist 9 begins by stating “a firm Union will be of the utmost moment to the peace and liberty of the States, as a barrier against domestic faction and insurrection.” After that opening, and an initial barrage against the “petty republics of Greece and Italy” which never had a stable peace, there are 10 …

January 29, 2008 – 4:09 pm | By ashok | Posted in politics | Tagged , , | Comments (6)

Defending Mansfield: Why the Executive is Not Entirely Defined by the Rule of Law

Energy is an ambivalent term in this kind of political philosophy – but its worth again being very precise by what we mean here. Mansfield takes both the word energy and the Machiavellian word, virtu, to be attributes that only tyrants or those acting extra legally can have. Its an interesting case- but in my …

May 3, 2007 – 5:44 pm | By ashok | Posted in politics | Tagged , , | Comments (0)