From: Russell Pearson <R.Pearson-AT-art.derby.ac.uk>
Date: Thu, 19 Mar 1998 17:05:41 +0000
Subject: Re: M-TH: Democracy and the Tyranny of the Majority


>If I understand Leo correctly here he says mainly two things:
>
>1) James H is stuck with the contradiction between a purely majoritarian
>conception of democrcay, on which 51% rules, whatever it says, and a
>string conception of negative rights, on which no one may interfere with
>my right to what I want as long as it doesn't hurt others. Leo thinks
>these are inconsistent, because 51% might interfere with my rights to,
>say, discriminate against Black people in employment relations. That's
right.

Can James have his cake and eat i t ?- (or the 'Penny and the Bun' as the
Welsh say). Neither either or but and...?

Now since Yoshie asks for friends and family to enter the discussion here
we go. I was in conversation with my better half the other day and the talk
turned to theories of power.  My partner works with people diagnosed with
schizophrenia and approaches the question of power through theories of
empowerment, anti-psychiatry, discourse theory, Gestalt etc. The talk
turned to Foucault and then to Berlin.  Now it's some years since I read
Berlin's essay on Negative and Positive Liberty and at the time it struck
me as a misconceived piece, although I could never put my finger on exactly
what was wrong with it. At the time my lecturers in this area, Doug Tallack
and Richard King (especially) of the American Studies Dept at Nottm Uni,
thought it almost beyond reproach.  I need to re-read it to refresh myself
with the essay- (I've got a copy photocopied somewhere, are there any
copies on the web for downloading?). In the meantime, anyone got any
suggestions as to where they feel he gets it wrong, or right for that
matter?

Russ





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