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Articles 1 - 30 of 45
Full-Text Articles in Political Theory
How Religion, Morality, And Worldview Impact Public Policy, Adam Opp
How Religion, Morality, And Worldview Impact Public Policy, Adam Opp
Journal of Statesmanship & Public Policy: Briefs and Commentaries
It is important to examine the intersection between religion, morality, and worldview when analyzing the creation of public policy. Faith and spiritual beliefs play a key role in how an individual behaves as a policymaker and how they view the role of government. Religion considers the critical role of authority, which the government must analyze if the people have given it the authority to take a course of action. Morality asserts that the purpose of government is to maintain a system of justice that protects individual rights. Worldview highlights the framework individuals take in approaching the role of government and …
The Seed That Begot America: How Political Principles Of The Reformation Contributed To The American Founding, Gabriel Stisser
The Seed That Begot America: How Political Principles Of The Reformation Contributed To The American Founding, Gabriel Stisser
Senior Honors Theses
When teaching the American founding, the contemporary public-school curriculum tends to emphasize the influence of the thinkers from the antiquity and Enlightenment periods. However, the curriculum tends to neglect the impact that the Reformation had upon America's formation. Through a qualitative historical review, this study will analyze both primary and secondary sources to examine how Reformed ideals of the political covenant, limited government, and resistance to tyranny influenced the American founding. This analysis finds that the Reformed (sometimes called Calvinist) political ideals from the Reformation had a significant influence upon the formation of the New England colonies, the enlightenment figures …
On The Indispensability Of Natural Law On The Moral Theory Of The State, David W. Bolton
On The Indispensability Of Natural Law On The Moral Theory Of The State, David W. Bolton
Liberty University Journal of Statesmanship & Public Policy
Natural Law is widely regarded as a set of universal moral standards in which the acknowledgement of the differences between right and wrong are inherent in people, not created by society or lawmakers. It is based on the consistent nature of man as opposed to varying cultural standards and is unchanged by time or circumstance. Many thinkers throughout history have offered their educated opinions on the matter of Natural Law and the moral theory of the State. The Social Contract theory of the Modern Secular thinkers of the 17th century was considered a break with classical and traditional Christian …
A Jus Ad Bellum Analysis Of The American Revolution, Lindsey Allen
A Jus Ad Bellum Analysis Of The American Revolution, Lindsey Allen
Senior Honors Theses
America is a rose among the thorns of history, owing her existence to her remarkable victory in the Revolutionary War. However, America's end cannot necessarily justify the means of her creation. This qualitative thesis will determine whether the American Revolution was just by examining the jus ad bellum perspective of Just War Theory. This philosophical purview will focus on the justness of the colonists’ initiation of the American Revolution, with its criteria being last resort, legitimate authority, just cause, probability of success, right intention, and proportionality. This thesis will synthesize the contributing elements and arguments for the defense of the …
The Cost Of Happiness: The Implications Of Utilitarianism On Economics, Adam Opp
The Cost Of Happiness: The Implications Of Utilitarianism On Economics, Adam Opp
Liberty University Journal of Statesmanship & Public Policy
Bentham and Mill proposed the utilitarian theory, which has moral and economic applications. Bentham and Mill differed slightly in their ideologies, as Mill critiqued Bentham and argued that man is in a separate category from beasts. To assess this, one must study human nature and if man really is different from the beasts. To this end, utilitarianism will be discussed, but also Aristotle’s discussion on virtue, the magnanimous man, and generosity. The next critical area to discuss is what differentiates humans from beasts, and if humans are distinct. Several characteristics that differentiate men from beasts include mental, psychological, moral, and …
A Red Awakening: An Analysis Of China’S Quest For Global Dominance Through Economic Alternative Warfare Methods, Sarah Beddingfield
A Red Awakening: An Analysis Of China’S Quest For Global Dominance Through Economic Alternative Warfare Methods, Sarah Beddingfield
Senior Honors Theses
In the 2023 annual meeting of China’s parliament, Chinese President Xi made it clear to his political leaders and the world that he was preparing for war. This should come as no surprise after analysis of China's grand strategy points clearly to the intent to surpass the U.S. as the premier global superpower in all respects. China has been building towards this goal for years through untraditional methods of warfare, forcing the national security community to reevaluate its own strategy and assess the Chinese threat through a different lens. This thesis seeks to address one specific area in which China …
Charge The Cockpit Or Die: An Anatomy Of Fear-Driven Political Rhetoric In American Conservatism, Daniel Hostetter
Charge The Cockpit Or Die: An Anatomy Of Fear-Driven Political Rhetoric In American Conservatism, Daniel Hostetter
Senior Honors Theses
Subthreshold negative emotions have superseded conscious reason as the initial and strongest motivators of political behavior. Political neuroscience uses the concepts of negativity bias and terror management theory to explore why fear-driven rhetoric plays such an outsized role in determining human political actions. These mechanisms of human anthropology are explored by competing explanations from biblical and evolutionary scholars who attempt to understand their contribution to human vulnerabilities to fear. When these mechanisms are observed in fear-driven political rhetoric, three common characteristics emerge: exaggerated threat, tribal combat, and religious apocalypse, which provide a new framework for explaining how modern populist leaders …
China: A Settler Colonial Empire?, Kaleb Horne
China: A Settler Colonial Empire?, Kaleb Horne
Helm's School of Government Conference - 2021-2024
China’s rapid expansion is a growing concern to many in the West, yet the history and pattern of its meteoric rise is deeply misunderstood. Surprisingly, its rise may be similar to that of many Western states. This paper will examine a constellation of China’s territorial and cultural expansions. Furthermore, it will examine ongoing and future expansions of the Chinese empire. It will examine Chinese actions in Tibet, the Yunnan Province, the Guizhou Province, Taiwan, the Belt and Road Initiative, and examine China’s ongoing treatment of Uyghur Muslims. These subjects will also be qualitatively compared to settler colonial theories, as described …
Citizenship And Virtue’ Are Requirements For Maintaining Liberty, Timothy P. O'Brien
Citizenship And Virtue’ Are Requirements For Maintaining Liberty, Timothy P. O'Brien
Helm's School of Government Conference - 2021-2024
In the twenty-first century, the United States of America has been caught in a time of increased polarization, the Republic has been fraying as the sense of community has cracked, where fanatics on the extremes of the political spectrum have contributed to the disruption of normal political order driven by normative agendas. The underlying political theories on which the nations was founded emerged from the ancient Greek philosophers and passed through the early Christian philosophers to the Framers of the Constitution of the United States of America. This article explores the foundations of citizenship and virtue as it applies to …
City On A Hill: A Reflection On Christian Ethic And Human Morality, Mayce Combs
City On A Hill: A Reflection On Christian Ethic And Human Morality, Mayce Combs
Helm's School of Government Conference - 2021-2024
In John Winthrop’s sermon A Model of Christian Charity (1630), he spoke to his congregation of the mission God had called them to. With the creation of a new blended nation, the only way to be exceptional was to reflect the gospel in policy, action, and foremost thought. Philosophers from ancient times to today acknowledge that an individual is made up of the soul and their body. From the soul, comes thought, reason, empathy, and a connection to a divine being who deciphers what is morally unjust. The body is a sinful, self-seeking vessel that does not have the ability …
The Departure From The Original Intent Of The 14th Amendment, Johnny B. Davis
The Departure From The Original Intent Of The 14th Amendment, Johnny B. Davis
Helm's School of Government Conference - 2021-2024
No abstract provided.
Eugenics Not Eradication: How People With Disabilities Have Lost The Right To Life, Ava Standish
Eugenics Not Eradication: How People With Disabilities Have Lost The Right To Life, Ava Standish
Helm's School of Government Conference - 2021-2024
Disability-selective abortion stems from a eugenical philosophy not a hope of eradication. Disabilities cannot be eradicated because they are not diseases. Eugenics seeks to purify society from those who are considered “inferior” and to encourage the rate of births considered “superior.” Eugenics continues today through selective abortion of children with disabilities. These children deserve the right to life guaranteed by natural rights, human rights, and the laws of the United States. Children with disabilities, particularly Down Syndrome, have lost this right to life in the United States and abroad. In the United States, 67% of children with Down Syndrome are …
The Future Of The Cyber Theater Of War, Elizabeth Cook
The Future Of The Cyber Theater Of War, Elizabeth Cook
Helm's School of Government Conference - 2021-2024
Few could imagine how it would develop when the air was the new theater of war. The literature showcases that a lack of imagination and state-level institutionalized power structures, particularly in the U.S., hampered the progress of air as a new theater of war both in thought and application. Today, a similar lack of imagination on the cyber theater of war is a great source of insecurity in the world system; it sets the stage for strategic shocks like the ones to the U.S. on December 7, 1941, and 9/11. To avoid this, states should imagine how a convergence of …
Divergence Or Destiny?: Comparing The Modern Conception Of Positive Rights To The Founders’ Conception Of Individual Rights, Jason M. Chahyadi
Divergence Or Destiny?: Comparing The Modern Conception Of Positive Rights To The Founders’ Conception Of Individual Rights, Jason M. Chahyadi
Helm's School of Government Conference - 2021-2024
This paper compares the American Founders’ theory of individual highlights and the current American fascination with enshrining positive rights into law. I begin my examination by analyzing the inspirations for both the Founding Theory of Rights and the Modern Theory of Rights, specifically the political theory of Locke and the Founders, the English tradition that the Founders embraced, and the structural details of the Constitution. After examining the roots of both theories of rights, I look at whether the two camps of thought can co-exist or are in conflict with each other. I conclude that while there may be a …
Jean-Jacques Rousseau’S Discourse On Inequality And Its Impact On Modern Western Society, Roger Engle
Jean-Jacques Rousseau’S Discourse On Inequality And Its Impact On Modern Western Society, Roger Engle
Helm's School of Government Conference - 2021-2024
The famous French philosopher Jean-Jacques Rousseau has undoubtedly left his mark on history and heavily influenced numerous governments over the last two hundred years. Rousseau’s “Discourse on Inequality”, in particular, changed the way in which individuals view society, religion, and morality in a significant manner. The worldview which is presented in this writing is the product of years of abandonment, sexual promiscuity, and a lack of personal responsibility. The real-world implications of which have led to the deaths of millions upon millions in one of the bloodiest centuries in all of human history and inspired some of modern history’s most …
The Influences Of Montesquieu On American Ideals, Analeise E. Wasenius
The Influences Of Montesquieu On American Ideals, Analeise E. Wasenius
Helm's School of Government Conference - 2021-2024
The ideologies of French philosopher, Charles de Secondat Baron de Montesquieu, played a prominent role in the founding of the American governmental system in the realm of Separation of Powers. Within his work, Spirit of Laws, he emphasizes the need for a government to separate executive, legislative, and judicial powers by the means of checks and balances. The Federalists support and uphold the idea of a “balanced democracy” within Federalist No. 47. In opposition, the Anti-Federalists describe in Anti-Federalist No. 46-47 their concerns regarding the responsibilities ensured by the separation of powers; they believe that the legislative branch should assume …
The American Debate Between Toleration And Liberty Of Conscience, Zachary Federico
The American Debate Between Toleration And Liberty Of Conscience, Zachary Federico
Helm's School of Government Conference - 2021-2024
No abstract provided.
The 1776 Report And The Historical Establishment: A Review, Joseph E. Esparza
The 1776 Report And The Historical Establishment: A Review, Joseph E. Esparza
Bound Away: The Liberty Journal of History
The Trump Administration’s 1776 Final Report was instantly condemned by nearly all professional historical organizations in the United States upon its public release. This review of the 1776 Final Report seeks to understand why the historical establishment so quickly dismissed it as irrelevant and dangerous. It sheds light on the academic context behind the report, and comments on the state of the historical establishment in the United States. This article also gives an honest review of the final report from an historical perspective. This review demonstrates that the 1776 Report was never intended as a comprehensive narrative of American history …
Reviewing John Maynard Keynes: The Economic Consequences Of The Peace, John C. Daniel
Reviewing John Maynard Keynes: The Economic Consequences Of The Peace, John C. Daniel
Liberty University Journal of Statesmanship & Public Policy
The 1919 Treaty of Versailles is one of the most impactful documents in world history. The treaty effectively ended World War I, decimated Germany, and laid the foundation for World War II. In his analysis The Economic Consequences of the Peace, John Maynard Keynes gives a first-hand account of the influence of world leaders President Woodrow Wilson, English Prime Minister David Lloyd George, and French Prime Minister Georges Clemenceau and the roles they played during the Paris Peace Conference. Keynes explains the treaty from a geopolitical lens, argues against the treaty’s reparations clause, and advocates for alternative solutions. Almost …
Biblical Principles Of Reform And Regeneration: An Intellectual Framework For Christians Addressing Social Change, Kahlib Fischer
Biblical Principles Of Reform And Regeneration: An Intellectual Framework For Christians Addressing Social Change, Kahlib Fischer
Liberty University Journal of Statesmanship & Public Policy
This paper seeks to provide Biblical perspective on social and cultural reform. At the time of this writing, much upheaval in the form of a pandemic, race riots, and political protests have manifested both within America and abroad. In turn, these disputes have carried over into conflict within various denominations of the Church itself. This paper will provide some guiding Biblical themes from Scripture that are relevant to these very difficult issues today. It will also address common pitfalls the Church can easily fall into in dealing with these issues, and how these extremes can be avoided.
The Twilight Of Liberty: Lessons For The United States From Rome’S Dying Republic, Matthew Mccracken
The Twilight Of Liberty: Lessons For The United States From Rome’S Dying Republic, Matthew Mccracken
Helm's School of Government Conference - 2021-2024
A historical comparison of the rise of ancient Rome and the United States as great republics, how the former dissolved under the weight of social, political, and cultural strife, and how the latter may avoid a similar breakdown.
Economist's Moral Reasoning On Foreign Aid, Stephen Langeland
Economist's Moral Reasoning On Foreign Aid, Stephen Langeland
Helm's School of Government Conference - 2021-2024
No abstract provided.
Great Men Are Almost Always Bad Men: The Cultural Revolution Of The Techno-Totalitarians, Gregory S. Mckenzie
Great Men Are Almost Always Bad Men: The Cultural Revolution Of The Techno-Totalitarians, Gregory S. Mckenzie
Helm's School of Government Conference - 2021-2024
No abstract provided.
Reformation Within The Nation: Adapting The Nordic Rehabilitation And Reintegration Model To Positively Recondition The United States Criminal Justice System, Jessica Cornell
Helm's School of Government Conference - 2021-2024
An analytical and statistical based comparison of criminal sentencing, incarceration, rehabilitation and reintegration in the United States of America to those of the five countries which follows those of the Nordic Criminal Justice System.
Compulsory Voting And Corruption In Latin America, Jonathan Dumdei
Compulsory Voting And Corruption In Latin America, Jonathan Dumdei
Senior Honors Theses
Among modern democracies, compulsory voting (CV) is institutionalized most prevalently in Latin America. Latin American politics have a long, turbulent history, and governments in the region have some of the highest rates of political corruption in the world among democracies, especially electoral fraud. This study investigates the connection between these two phenomena. Secondary empirical quantitative and qualitative research of political and cultural behavior are analyzed according to a rational choice theory decision paradigm. Demographic, experimental, and theoretical data regarding the effects of CV laws are considered in light of possible incentives and disincentives for engaging in vote-buying. This study inductively …
An Evaluation Of The Marxist Paradigm In Comparison To A Biblical Worldview: The Case Of Venezuela, Jonathan Riddick
An Evaluation Of The Marxist Paradigm In Comparison To A Biblical Worldview: The Case Of Venezuela, Jonathan Riddick
Senior Honors Theses
This research was conducted to address the pressing paradigmatic split in modern American society between Marxism and Christian governing principles. The prevailing concept that governed this research is that Marxism degrades governments and societies and is inherently destructive. The exposition of Marxism’s deconstructive character transpires in this research by comparing the implementation of Marxist principles in Venezuela to the application of biblical principles in the United States. A brief historical context of Marxism and Christianity is considered alongside each worldview’s values and implementation of such values. Each worldview’s foundation is then evaluated by an investigation into Venezuela’s utilization of Marxist …
Tactical Mistakes: Women's Role In Terrorism, Laura Daniel
Tactical Mistakes: Women's Role In Terrorism, Laura Daniel
Liberty University Journal of Statesmanship & Public Policy
Since the 1970s, the word "terrorism" has become a well-known term. Almost two decades after 9/11, it has become a part of everyday vocabulary and, at times, dominates the news cycle. However, the faces we see associated with terrorism are mainly men. When talking of a training camp or a video claiming responsibility for terrorist attacks, women are not a part of the majority. However, women do play a significant role in terrorism. This article evaluates the history of women in terrorism and their positions in terror organizations, as well as the tactical mistake of overlooking women's role in global …
Manumission In Virginia: The Anti-Slavery Legacy Of John Lynch, Stephen Langeland
Manumission In Virginia: The Anti-Slavery Legacy Of John Lynch, Stephen Langeland
Liberty University Journal of Statesmanship & Public Policy
This paper is in no way an apology for the institution of slavery in any form. In fact, it is a reiteration of Biblical doctrine and natural rights philosophy that posit all humans are created equal. The institution of slavery knew few bounds throughout recorded history and was as ubiquitous and durable as the activities of marriage or warfare, practiced by every culture and religion (Drescher 2009, 7-8, 12-39). Biblical text is devoid of specific prohibition against slavery, a fact sadly used as justification for its continuation. The Quakers, however, were one of the few religious groups who invoked Scriptural …
Covid-19 Lockdowns Are Central Planning, Stephen Langeland
Covid-19 Lockdowns Are Central Planning, Stephen Langeland
Liberty University Journal of Statesmanship & Public Policy
The panic surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic led politicians to implement lockdowns and issue “stay-at-home” orders that follow in a long line of government attempts over the past century at economic central planning. With only a few notable exceptions among the several states, elected officials and bureaucrats seized on emergency powers afforded them by the onset of the novel coronavirus. In mid-March 2020 the publishing of the now infamous epidemiological models gave governments the sensational information they needed to get the wheels of government planners turning. The present government-induced crisis once again demonstrates that the intellectuals of the ruling class responsible …
The Non-Christian Nature Of Marxism, Andrew Looker, Jr.
The Non-Christian Nature Of Marxism, Andrew Looker, Jr.
Helm's School of Government Conference - 2021-2024
Marxism is one of the most impactful philosophies in the history of mankind. It refers to the political and economic theories formulated by Karl Marx, a German philosopher who lived from 1818 to 1883. Marx’s most well-known works include the Communist Manifesto (1848) and Das Kapital (1859). Marxism initially consisted of the three related ideas of a philosophical anthropology, a theory of history, and a radical economic and political program.[1] More specifically, Marx claimed that capitalism is just one stage in the historical progression from inferior economic systems to superior ones. Marx held that every society throughout history has …