Notes, summaries, assignments, exams, and problems for Social sciences

Introductory Elements

• The state is the political organization of society. Power, the center of politics, is a key element of the state. The existence of power relations doesn't inherently define power itself.
• The state's core components are power, territory, and citizens.

Power

Power, in its exercise, is often wielded based on personal interests and convictions, leading to confusion between individuals and institutions. It's an individual's capacity to act or refrain from acting. Absolute power occurs when an individual's will is enforced without opposition.

"Power is the ability to exercise one's will, supported by resources, resulting in its enforceability." State power involves imposition and institutionalized force, implying coercion and a deliberate... Continue reading "Understanding the State: Power, Territory, and People" »

Marx's Philosophy: A Scientific Interpretation of History

Marx's philosophy is intended as a scientific interpretation of human history, aiming to predict its future course. Marx argues that the proper way to interpret history is not by staying on the surface, focusing on anecdotes about rulers or the prevalent thoughts of each era. Instead, one must go directly to the motor of history, which, according to Marx, is the **economy** and the **production relations** among people.

The Motor of History: Class Struggle

For Marx, the motor of history is **class struggle**. Throughout time, different economic systems have emerged (slavery, feudalism, capitalism), each representing a different form of exploitation of one class by another. In each system,... Continue reading "Marxism: Understanding History and Class Struggle" »

Rousseau on Nature, Society, and Contract

According to Rousseau, men are naturally free and equal, possessing mercy, kindness, simplicity of life, and enjoy easy coexistence due to an abundance of goods. If men are seen in a state of struggle and inequality, it is attributed to society and its institutions, particularly private property. (Rousseau believed man is naturally good, but society corrupts him).

The only legitimate state operates under the rule of law, protecting all people and their property equally through a social contract. This contract ensures:

• Since all individuals surrender their rights equally, it prevents the creation of differences.
• It ensures no loss of personal freedom, maintaining equality.
• It guarantees the conditions necessary

Karl Marx's Theory of Alienation

Karl Marx's thesis on the alienation of humanity within capitalist society describes a condition he sought to expose and overcome. Alienation, in this context, signifies estrangement, humiliation, and even reification (the process of turning a person into a thing). From the perspective of historical materialism, work and production are fundamentally the primary sources of human self-realization and development. However, capitalism alienates the worker, thereby corrupting their activity, humiliating them, and reducing them to an object, a mere commodity. Through the worker's labor, the value of goods increases, creating an added value to the commodified object. Interestingly, alienation also impacts the capitalist,... Continue reading "Karl Marx's Theory of Alienation in Capitalism" »

• Electoral Systems

  Electoral systems exist in democratic regimes and are found in two forms: proportional and majority.

• Proportional: Characterized by the amount of power that is assumed in the governing bodies, which is proportional to the number of votes obtained in the elections.

Majority: Characterized by the desire to obtain the most votes, which grants all the power. When a party receives 50 + 1 votes, it secures 100% of the representation in Congress.

The proportional system is a fair system from the standpoint of political representation, but it is often seen as unfair compared to the majority system.

From the perspective of political representation, the proportional system helps create conditions that can lead to political instability due

Absolute, Liberal, and Socialist States

The Absolute State (16th-17th Centuries)

In the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, social and political problems and revolts from nobles, cities, and farmers increased the power of kings. Authoritarian monarchies evolved into absolute monarchies where kings held absolute power. These kings concentrated executive, legislative, and judicial functions. The absolute state was defined by the rule of law, applying to all its components.

The Liberal State

The liberal state centers on the individual. Its function is to create a legal framework enabling free action. Individuals possess inherent rights, prior to and more important than the state, which must respect these rights. The state creates laws to protect... Continue reading "Absolute, Liberal, Socialist, and Welfare States: A Comparative Analysis" »

Understanding the Concept of Text

The text is a sentence or a more or less long sequence of sentences ordered coherently and endowed with meaning. It is the maximum unit of communication.

A text elaborates on an idea or a number of ideas that the sender wants to transmit, and each idea is logically related to the others. The resources for this are links, syntactic matches, and semantic relationships.

Therefore, the two essential properties of a text are syntactic cohesion and semantic coherence. Cohesion can be defined as the interdependence between the elements of a text. It exists when each constituent of the text depends on others and cannot be understood without taking these into account.

Cohesion mechanisms are varied; the most important are:... Continue reading "Understanding Text: Definition, Properties, and Global Spanish" »

Understanding Language Varieties

Language is a common code shared by speakers belonging to a community. Certain circumstances explain the appearance of different varieties within the same language. These are categorized into:

Diaphasic or Situational Varieties

These are related to the communicative situation and the individual style of the speaker. It is a variety of speech that gives rise to linguistic registers. The elements of a communicative situation are:

1. The personality of the sender-receiver
2. The communicative tension or degree of formality
3. The intentionality
4. The subject matter
5. Unilateral or bilateral interaction
6. The interaction space

There are two types of registers:

• Formal Register: Typical of cultural, scientific, and literary domains. The most

The Hegelian and Marxian Dialectics

The Hegelian dialectic serves a complete and finished system of world history. Based on contradiction, it interprets and justifies the world, rather than transforming it. In contrast, the Marxian dialectic is open and unfinished, reflecting the incomplete nature of history and the real world. It aims to transform reality, not justify it, focusing on the contradictions within reality itself. Marx's dialectic is a dialectic of reality (the "subject"), not of ideas. It is a revolutionary dialectic of transformation.

Marx's Materialist Dialectic

Marx, a materialist, sought to synthesize Hegelian idealism with his materialism, creating dialectical materialism. His fundamental intuition is that history is simultaneously... Continue reading "Marxian and Hegelian Dialectics: A Materialist Interpretation of History" »

Factors Influencing Aging

The changes attributable to age are due to the interrelationship between functional and anatomical brain structures. These include:

• Changes in cognitive function (intelligence, memory, problem-solving, creativity).
• Changes in emotional state (loss of experience, motivation, personality).
• Social roles that society designates and that individuals must develop according to age. Certain roles conflict with chronological age.

It is important to distinguish between true aging and "fake aging." Fake aging refers to differences between young and old that are not motivated by deterioration over time but by factors such as:

• Effects of societal development
• Brainpower
• Culture
• Habits related to social attitudes of health maintenance

Theories