• The theories of Alexis de Tocqueville have had a profound effect on the concepts of democracy
• Tocqueville’s historical background deeply influenced his theories.
• His early experiences and travels to America were instrumental to the forming of his theories.  Equality of conditions is a central theme throughout all of his theories.  He argued equality is essential to democracy and it is the lack of quality that leads to crime.  Critics of Tocqueville cite this reliance on equality as his major weakness.  Despite these criticisms, Tocqueville’s theories remain popular 150 years after his death. 
• Alexis de Tocqueville was born in Paris on July 29, 1805. 
• Tocqueville developed the idea of the “true” aristocracy, one in which the French nobility fought alongside the people for equality
• This struggle
• moral equality and civil liberty
• ocqueville became an advocate for the “good cause” of liberalism.
• Tocqueville’s book became the preeminent study of democracy in the New World.
• To Americans, Tocqueville’s work provided a unique understanding of themselves.  Tocqueville, like most Americans of the 1830s, perceived the United States as the paradigm of the new democratic age (Hereth, 1986: 9).  Tocqueville’s work made Americans realize how unique and special their situation was.  Nowhere else in the world had a government based on democracy, equality and freedom flourished.  As a result, Democracy in America made Americans appreciate they lived in a truly unique country.
•  From his noble roots and fear of civil war to his liberal ideology, Tocqueville was a definite product of his environment
• The first of these “generative principles” is equality of conditions.  For Democracy to exist there must be equality
• rights must be given to each citizen or to no one.
• enjoyed an atmosphere of social equality.
• In the aristocracy social and political power was based on name and birth.  
• noted exception, of course being the slaves) 
• Social classes were fixed
• According to Tocqueville, this equality of conditions served as a “generative principle” for Democracy (Manenet, 1996: 1).
• Another “generative principle” for democracy was sovereignty of the people.
• “The Anglo-Americans are the first nation…to establish and maintain the sovereignty of the people,” wrote Tocqueville (1980: 52).
• Without public opinion, democracy has no direction
• One the one hand, the power of the majority is needed to sustain democracy, while on the other; the tyranny of the majority can destroy democracy.
• Despite the prospects of the tyranny of the majority, Tocqueville felt democracy was the way of the future.
• He believed that democracy was the destiny for modern nation states and that monarchies and aristocracies would soon disappear. 
•   In order for democracy to triumph the “generative principles” of equality of conditions, sovereignty of the people, and public opinion needed to exist.

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• • A traduire et inclure dans l'exposé:
    PArler argent est encore tabou ...

• Famille : "La question de l'argent reste taboue"

     

    LE MONDE | 17.10.09 | 14h41  •  Mis à jour le 17.10.09 | 17h59
• Nicole Prieur, psychothérapeute de formation philosophique, pense, au contraire, dans un livre qui vient de paraître, Petits règlements de comptes en famille, que les différends sont inévitables à l'intérieur de la famille, du couple, de la fratrie. Quand l'affectif et l'argent s'emmêlent, les contentieux surgissent.
• la question de l'argent dans la famille et dans le couple reste taboue. Je reçois des patients pour qui il est plus difficile de parler de la manière dont l'argent est géré dans le couple que de leur sexualité. On est encore soumis à l'idéologie selon laquelle "en amour, on ne compte pas". Or plus on pose comme antagonistes argent et amour, moins on se donne les moyens de penser l'articulation entre sentiments moraux et intérêts financiers. On mélange tout.

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• • c'est triste...mêmes les mots sont lassés de l'expression d'une telle déchéance pendant tant d'années...ils en sont devenus muets...ou les âmes sont de plus en plus sourdes , il n'y a plus rien à dire sauf peut être: détresse et injustice.
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• A Palestinian boy looks on as municipality workers demolish a house in the east Jerusalem neighborhood of Tzur Baher, Tuesday, Oct. 27. 2009. Palestinians claim the demolitions are politically motivated but Israeli authorities say it is because the owners have no permits. (AP Photo/Dan Balilty)

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• Let's make money, un film militant et politiquement engagé sur la nécessité d'une moralisation collective de nos économies prédatrices et irresponsables.
• Let's make money déconstruit un système reposant sur l'excès et la prise de risques mais face auquel aucune alternative ni régulation suffisante n'existe.
  
  

• • elle est canon meeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeerde:( lool

• les réseaux sociaux, un peu : être sur Facebook /  MySpace / LinkedIn diminue de 30% la probabilité de connaître ses  voisins
• les réseaux sociaux
• tenir un blog augmente de 95% les chances de se confier à  quelqu'un d'origine(s) ethnique(s) opposées
• être internaute augmente de 42% les chances d'aller dans un parc  public. Etre blogger augmente cette probabilité de 61%
• les membres de réseaux sociaux ont 40% plus de  chances d'aller dans un bar

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• • not if we have a correct indice of understanding and tolerence, come ooooooooon let's be more optimistic! that also brings diversity, and behind the confrontation, there are reflexion, and innovation......
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• Geert Hofstede™ Cultural Dimensions

•   Culture  is more often a source of conflict than of synergy.  Cultural differences are  a nuisance at  best  and often a disaster."      Prof. Geert Hofstede,  Emeritus Professor, Maastricht University.

   

   

   

   

   
• What are  Hofstede's five Cultural Dimensions?
• Power  Distance Index (PDI) that is the extent to which the less powerful members of organizations and institutions (like the family) accept and expect that power is distributed unequally
• society's level of inequality is endorsed by the followers as much as by the leader
• Individualism  (IDV) on the one side versus its opposite, collectivism, that is the degree to which individuals are inte-grated into groups
• Masculinity  (MAS) versus its opposite, femininity, refers to the distribution of roles between the genders which is another fundamental issue for any society to which a range of solutions are found. T
• Uncertainty  Avoidance Index (UAI) deals with a society's tolerance for uncertainty and ambiguity; it ultimately refers to man's search for Truth
• Uncertainty avoiding cultures try to minimize the possibility of such situations by strict laws and rules, safety and security measures, and on the philosophical and religious level by a belief in absolute Truth; 'there can only be one Truth and we have it'. People in uncertainty avoiding countries are also more emotional, and motivated by inner nervous energy.
• • I don't think that religion is a way of avoiding uncertainty by having the truth, but a way of accepting it .Usually People who believe are more able to accept and deal with uncertainty , as a part of destiny , as God's decision whereas People who don't believe can't find a place for uncertainty in their linear frame of thinking.
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• Long-Term  Orientation (LTO) versus short-term orientation

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• • Un discours pacifiste, très profond mais très idéaliste aussi. Convaincre la communauté juive de promouvoir la communauté musulmanes de France qui au contraire de son homologue juive, ne possède pas de bourgeoisie à même de mener une action structurelle et organisatrice de solidarité sociale , afin d'améliorer les conditions de vie et d'entente des 2 communautés. est -ce
    réalisable?
    Très belle citation sur la seddaka, associer le pauvre dans ses affaires...ou mieux répartir les richesses et abolir la haine entre les différentes classes sociales...
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