China 高二 Ideology and Politics
Chapters: 3
1. Comp.4 Philosophy and culture
Philosophy and world view; matter and motion · Dialectics: connection, development, contradiction · Knowledge and practice; truth · Society and history; values · Culture: tradition, foreign cultures, cultural development
- What Is Philosophy? Questions, Branches and Reasoning – Philosophy means "love of wisdom". It asks big questions (what is real, how we know, what is right, what is beautiful) and answers them with clear reasons. It has branches like metaphysics, epistemology, ethics, logic and aesthetics, and it shapes our world view.
- Dialectics: Connection, Development and Contradiction – Dialectics is a way of thinking that looks at the world as connected, always changing, and moved forward by the struggle of opposite sides (contradiction). Slow small changes can add up to a sudden new quality (quantity into quality). Dialectical thinking also uses analysis (breaking a whole into parts) and synthesis (joining parts into a new whole), and knowledge grows through practice again and again.
- Epistemology: What Is Knowledge? – Epistemology is the part of philosophy that asks what knowledge is, how we get it and how sure we can be. A classic answer: knowledge is a belief that is true and well justified (justified true belief), although lucky cases (Gettier cases) show this may not be enough. Knowledge comes from reason (rationalism) and from experience through the senses (empiricism); Kant argued we need both. Theories of truth include correspondence (matches the facts), coherence (fits with other beliefs) and pragmatic (works in practice). Scepticism reminds us that senses and reasoning can mislead, so we test, check sources and stay open to correction.
- Society, History and Values – A society has a base (how people live and work) and ideas (beliefs, laws, art). The base shapes the ideas, and ideas push back. Ordinary people together make history. A thing's value depends on how it meets a need, and a value judgement says what is better to choose.
- Cultural Change: How Cultures Spread, Mix and Grow – Culture is the way a group lives: food, dress, language, beliefs and tools. It never stands still. Cultural change happens when habits spread from one group to another (diffusion), when groups in long contact blend their habits (acculturation), and when people invent new ideas inside their own group.
2. Sel.1 Contemporary international politics and economy (elective)
States: form of state and government; structure · World multipolarity; peace and development; China's diplomacy · Economic globalisation and China · International organisations (UN, regional)
- State and Government: What Makes a State – A state is a political community with four elements: a permanent population, a territory, a government and sovereignty (supreme power inside, independence outside). The government is the team that runs the state and can change; the state stays. States differ in who decides (democracy, monarchy, dictatorship), how power is shared (unitary or federal) and how much they do for citizens.
- The Making of a Global World – People, goods, ideas and germs have moved across the world for thousands of years: on the silk routes, with food crops like potato and maize, and with diseases like smallpox. Between 1815 and 1914 the world economy grew through three flows: goods, labour and capital, helped by railways, steamships and refrigerated ships. Colonies paid a price: rinderpest in Africa and indentured labour from India. After the First World War came mass production in the USA and then the Great Depression of 1929, which hit India's farmers hard. After 1945, the Bretton Woods system, the IMF and the World Bank rebuilt the world economy.
- International Organisations – International organisations help countries co-operate on peace, money, trade and rights. The UN was set up in 1945 after the League of Nations failed; it has six main organs, and the Security Council's five permanent members hold a veto. Reform of the UN, especially the Security Council, is needed because the world has changed since 1945, and India claims a permanent seat. The IMF, World Bank, WTO, ILO and IAEA handle money, development, trade, workers and nuclear safety, while NGOs like Amnesty International watch over human rights.
3. Sel.2 Law and life (elective)
Civil rights; property; contracts; torts · Family and marriage; inheritance · Employment and entrepreneurship; tax · Mediation, arbitration, litigation
- Family Law: Marriage, Parents and Children – Family law is the part of private (civil) law that deals with marriage, the relationship between spouses, parents and children, divorce, maintenance, guardianship and adoption. In most countries a valid marriage needs two adults who freely agree, are not already married and are not close relatives, and it is registered. Spouses have equal rights and duties. Parents must care for, maintain and educate their children, and every decision about a child follows the principle of the child's best interests. Children without parental care are protected through guardianship, foster care and adoption.
- Work, Business and Tax: Rights and Rules – A worker and an employer agree on a contract, and the law protects fair pay, safety, rest and the right to form a union. To start a business you register and get a licence. Honest competition protects customers. Tax is a part of income or sales paid to the state, which pays for public services.
- Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR): Settling Disputes Outside Court – Courts follow either the adversarial system (two sides argue, the judge is a neutral umpire) or the inquisitorial system (the judge leads the search for facts). Court cases can be slow and costly, so Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) offers other ways: negotiation, mediation (a neutral person helps the parties agree), conciliation (the neutral person may also propose terms), arbitration (a chosen arbitrator gives a binding award) and, in India, Lok Adalats (free, quick settlement by compromise, no appeal). Separately, an ombudsman such as India's Lokpal (Union) and Lokayuktas (States) investigates complaints of corruption or bad administration by public officials.