Sunday 13 September 2015

What is a contemporary question relevant to Jean Bodin's theory of sovereignty?

Really any question involving the extent of powers of a sovereign central government could be relevant to Bodin's theory of sovereignty. For example, a debate about the civil war in Syria, born out of ethnic tensions and the geopolitics of the Middle East, might reference Bodin's notion of a unitary sovereign power with absolute authority over the people. Having lived through the wars of religion between Protestant Huguenots and Catholics in France, Bodin's mind was...

Really any question involving the extent of powers of a sovereign central government could be relevant to Bodin's theory of sovereignty. For example, a debate about the civil war in Syria, born out of ethnic tensions and the geopolitics of the Middle East, might reference Bodin's notion of a unitary sovereign power with absolute authority over the people. Having lived through the wars of religion between Protestant Huguenots and Catholics in France, Bodin's mind was especially attuned to the problems caused by factionalism, and he argued that the only remedy, and the only way to achieve order, was through a sovereign with nearly absolute powers. For that matter, Bodin might be brought to bear on any question of sovereign power in the United States itself. Bodin would argue that the division of power created by the federal system leads to chaos and weakness. Sovereignty for Bodin was indivisible by its very nature. 

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In "By the Waters of Babylon," under the leadership of John, what do you think the Hill People will do with their society?

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