Lecture two of Political Science 240 examines the classical political theory concepts of the state, sovereignty, and freedom. It explains the emergence and defining features of the modern state, debates whether state power rests primarily on force, morality, or both, and distinguishes the state from government. The lecture then explores sovereignty in relation to international power and globalization, followed by Isaiah Berlin's concepts of negative and positive liberty, the distinction between unfreedom and inability, and John Stuart Mill's harm principle and utilitarianism.
