Philosophy: Political Philosophy
Social contract, justice, liberty, and the major traditions of political thought.
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How does Thomas Hobbes describe the 'state of nature' in his work Leviathan?
A state of perpetual war of every man against every man, where life is 'solitary, poor, nasty, brutish, and short.'
According to John Locke, what are the three fundamental natural rights that individuals possess?
Life, liberty, and property.
What is Jean-Jacques Rousseau's concept of the 'General Will'?
The collective will of the citizen body that aims at the common interest or common good, rather than a mere sum of private interests.
What is John Stuart Mill's 'Harm Principle' as articulated in On Liberty?
The principle that the only purpose for which power can be rightfully exercised over any member of a civilized community, against his will, is to prevent harm to others.
In Marxist theory, what is 'alienation' (Entfremdung)?
The process whereby workers lose control over their lives and selves by becoming separated from the products of their labor, the act of production, and their 'species-essence.'
What does Karl Marx's theory of 'historical materialism' posit about the structure of society?
That the economic base (means and relations of production) determines the legal, political, and cultural superstructure of society.
What is John Rawls' 'Veil of Ignorance'?
A thought experiment where individuals design a society without knowing their own place in it, including their class, gender, race, or natural talents.
Explain John Rawls' 'Difference Principle'.
The principle that social and economic inequalities are only permissible if they work to the greatest benefit of the least-advantaged members of society.
What is the core of Robert Nozick's 'Entitlement Theory' of justice?
A distribution is just if it arises from another just distribution by legitimate means, focusing on justice in acquisition, transfer, and rectification.
What is the Communitarian critique of the 'unencumbered self' associated with Michael Sandel?
The argument that individuals are 'embedded' in social, historical, and communal contexts, and cannot be understood as abstract, autonomous choosers.
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