Quiz 8: Social and Political Philosophy

Which two needs does Hobbes believes drive human action? A) Personal gain and love of others B) Personal gain and survival C) Love of others and survival D) Love of others and desire for peace

What, according to Hobbes, is the "chief end" of men uniting into a commonwealth? A) Survival B) Preservation of property C) Peace D) Survival of the fittest

Thomas Jefferson was a disciple of A) Locke B) Rosseau C) Hobbes D) Plato

Who wrote of the "General Will"? A) Locke B) Rosseau C) Hobbes D) Plato

Who said that the state was "prior to the individual"? A) Rawls B) Aristotle C) Plato D) Bentham

Who held that justice consisted of each person doing the job appropriate to their class? A) Rawls B) Sandel C) Aristotle D) Plato

The view that in a just society everyone will be given equal shares of burdens and benefits is A) Strict egalitarianism B) Substantive egalitarianism C) Formal equality D) Rawlsian equality

The view that the wealth that is produced in society belongs to everyone in society is A) Formal Egalitarianism B) Substantive egalitarianism C) Libertarianism D) Socialism

According to Nozick, what sort of theory of justice does Rawls develop? A) Formal B) Patterned C) Historical D) Socialist

Only governments can conduct wars

Hobbes believed that the authority of the state was justified.

Rousseau was a social contract theorist.

Hegel believed that the state was unnatural.

Plato believed that individuals were naturally equal.

Hume believed that everyone was equal.

Nozick was a welfare liberal.

Zeno rejected Stoicism.

Negative rights are rights that protect freedoms of various kinds.

Pacifists assert that morality applies to the relations between nations.

____________________ ____________________ is the philosophical study of society and its problems.

____________________ ____________________ says that individuals give up certain rights and liberties to the state, which guarantees other rights.

Leviathan was written by ____________________.

Hobbes based his political philosophy on the principles of ____________________ ____________________.

Hegel believed that the state was ____________________ ____________________ than the individual.

The ____________________ ____________________ claims that there are no relevant differences among people when it comes to justice.

____________________ argues that people should realize their human potential through productive work that exercises their capacities.

____________________ ____________________ favor limited government.

God's decrees for the governance of the universe was termed by Aquinas divine or ____________________ law.

Mill's central concern in On Liberty is the freedom of the ____________________.

Drawing from the Crito dialogue (discussed in Chapter 1) do you believe that you have any obligation to obey the state? Support your answer by reference to the theories of at least two of the following: Hobbes, Locke, and Rousseau.

What assumptions about human nature does Rawls make in developing his theory of justice using the artifice of the original position? Do you think that these assumptions are justified, or not? If so, do you think that the principles of justice that Rawls develops are binding on persons who were not in the original position (i.e., us)? Why, or why not? If not, do you think that the inadequacy of these assumptions undercut Rawls' views? Explain and justify your answer.

Should there be any limits on what the state can do? Would you answer depend on the circumstances in which the state was acting, with it varying between times of peace, and times of war, for example?

Do you believe that the state should provide "public goods"¾goods that can be used by as many people as wish to use them without any diminution in their availability, and which you cannot exclude people from using? (One example of such a good is the light from lighthouses.) If yes, would you force people to pay for these goods through taxation, even if they did not want them? If no, how else could such goods ever be provided, given their nature?

Do you believe that liberty is always a good thing for people to have, or not? Explain your answer, and outline what sort of a state it might lead you to endorse.