Question 1

Tecumseh

Accepted Answer

Tecumseh was a Shawnee leader who argued that individuals possess natural rights.

Question 2

According to Aristotle, democracy is a type of government in which

Accepted Answer

Aristotle viewed democracy as a perverted form of government where rulers govern in their own interest rather than that of the public.

Question 3

Nietzsche regards Christianity as an example of slave morality.

Accepted Answer

Nietzsche considered Christianity an embodiment of slave morality because it values traits like humility, obedience, and meekness, which he saw as virtues of the weak and oppressed.

Question 4

Vonnegut's story of Harrison Bergeron

Accepted Answer

Vonnegut's "Harrison Bergeron" explores themes of enforced equality and mediocrity, which can be paralleled with Nietzschean ideas about the dangers of suppressing individual excellence and potential.

Question 5

According to Aristotle,

Accepted Answer

Aristotle considered monarchy, when ruled by a virtuous leader, as one of the proper forms of government. He distinguished between different forms of government on the basis of whether they served the common interest or merely the interest of the rulers.

Question 6

According to Machiavelli's writings in The Prince, it is best if governments base their rule upon __________.

Accepted Answer

Machiavelli argues that it is safer for a ruler to be feared than loved, as long as he does not become hated. Fear, he suggests, is a more reliable way to maintain control and order, because it is less subject to change than love or affection.

Question 7

Equality of participation was advanced by

Accepted Answer

Mendes, referring to Chico Mendes, was an advocate for equality and environmental conservation, which inherently promotes equal participation in environmental and social issues. Aristotle and Machiavelli focused more on the nature of political power and governance, rather than equality of participation. The Taliban, historically, has not advanced equality of participation, especially regarding women's rights.

Question 8

If one examines U.S.uses of military drones, as of Fall 2013, armed drones had killed identified terrorists but had been successful in ensuring that no drone strikes ever injured or killed civilians.

Accepted Answer

While armed drones have been used to target and kill identified terrorists, there have been numerous reports and instances where drone strikes have also resulted in civilian casualties.

Question 9

Plato's allegory of the cave suggests

Accepted Answer

Plato's allegory of the cave illustrates the journey from ignorance to enlightenment, suggesting that critical thinking and questioning can lead individuals to understand truths that are at odds with commonly held beliefs or the status quo.

Question 10

Nietzsche

Accepted Answer

Nietzsche argues that resentment, or "ressentiment," is often the driving force behind demands for equality, as it stems from the feelings of the oppressed towards those in power. He does not favor slave morality over master morality; rather, he critiques slave morality for its origins in resentment.

Question 11

Yemen, Pakistan, and Somalia are among the countries

Accepted Answer

The United States has conducted drone strikes in Yemen, Pakistan, and Somalia as part of its efforts to combat terrorism, targeting suspected terrorist operatives and infrastructure in these countries.

Question 12

Over the centuries, as philosophers have debated whether states should be organized to maximize state power or organized to restrain state power,

Accepted Answer

James Madison was a proponent of limiting state power, advocating for a system of checks and balances within the government to prevent any one branch from becoming too powerful, as outlined in the Federalist Papers.

Question 13

Imagine the following scenario: A racist organization wishes to express its ideas (without causing specific, actual physical violence) and tries to recruit new members.Following the teachings of John Stuart Mill, it should be allowed to do so.

Accepted Answer

John Stuart Mill, in his work "On Liberty," argues for the freedom of speech and expression, regardless of the content's popularity or morality, as long as it does not harm others. He believes in the marketplace of ideas, where all views, including objectionable ones, should be allowed to be expressed and contested.

Question 14

Aristotle argued that proper governments were ones in which majority rule was followed.

Accepted Answer

Aristotle categorized governments into good and bad forms, with the good forms being monarchy (rule by one), aristocracy (rule by the few), and polity (a mix of democracy and oligarchy, where the many rule for the common good). He did not argue that proper governments were solely those in which majority rule was followed; rather, he believed in a balance that could prevent the excesses of pure democracy or oligarchy.

Question 15

Aristotle defined polity as

Accepted Answer

Aristotle defined polity as a form of government where the many govern in the interest of the political community as a whole, rather than for selfish interests. This contrasts with democracy as he saw it, where the many govern in their own interest.

Question 16

Without a powerful state capable of deterring crime, all citizens are vulnerable to predators; therefore, human survival is promoted by the creation of a strong state capable of severely punishing any and all individuals who threaten to harm others.This describes the argument of

Accepted Answer

The argument described is central to Thomas Hobbes' "Leviathan," where he argues that in the state of nature, life is "solitary, poor, nasty, brutish, and short," and thus, the establishment of a strong, sovereign state is necessary to protect individuals from each other.

Question 17

Thomas Jefferson

Accepted Answer

Thomas Jefferson is best known for his role in writing the Declaration of Independence, where he articulated the idea that all men are created equal and endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights. This reflects his belief in equality of natural rights, rather than equality of interests, rejection of natural rights, or favoring monarchy.

Question 18

Justice consists of following nature.This idea arises in the philosophical writings of

Accepted Answer

Plato, in his work "The Republic," argues that justice consists of following nature, specifically the nature of the individual and the state, and achieving harmony among the parts of the soul and the classes of the state.

Question 19

In The Federalist Papers, Madison

Accepted Answer

Madison, in The Federalist Papers, strongly advocates for both checks and balances and the separation of powers as fundamental principles to prevent any one branch of government from gaining too much power, thereby protecting the liberties of the people.

Question 20

Hobbes asserted that human nature was characterized by __________.

Accepted Answer

Hobbes believed that humans are naturally equal in the sense that they can harm each other or be harmed, which leads to competition and conflict, not peaceful cooperation or inherent inequality.

Quiz 4: Political Theory