Social contract theory, theories of justice, and core arguments about the state and legitimate authority from Hobbes to Rawls.
40 cards · basic cards · AI-written, checked twice. Edit anything.
- What does Hobbes describe the state of nature as?
- A war of all against all, where life is solitary, poor, nasty, brutish, and short.
- According to Hobbes, why do people leave the state of nature?
- Fear of death and desire for self-preservation drive them to establish a sovereign power.
- What is the Leviathan in Hobbes' political theory?
- An absolute sovereign power created by people through a social contract to enforce peace and order.
- Does Hobbes believe the sovereign is bound by the social contract?
- No, the sovereign stands outside the contract and cannot violate it.
- What natural right does Hobbes say everyone retains in civil society?
- The right to self-defense against threats to life.
- How does Locke's state of nature differ from Hobbes' version?
- Locke's is relatively peaceful and governed by natural law, not a war of all against all.
- What are the three natural rights Locke identifies?
- Life, liberty, and property.
- According to Locke, how do people acquire property?
- By mixing their labor with natural resources.
- What role does consent play in Locke's theory of legitimate government?
- Government is legitimate only when it has the consent of the governed.
- What is Locke's doctrine of separation of powers?
- Government power should be divided among legislative, executive, and federative (foreign policy) branches.
- What is the general will in Rousseau's political theory?
- The collective desire of the people for the common good, which is always right and tends toward equality.
- According to Rousseau, what is lost when humans leave the state of nature?
- Natural freedom and natural goodness, replaced by moral freedom and dependence on civil society.
- What does Rousseau mean by popular sovereignty?
- Ultimate political power resides in the people, not a monarch or elite.
- What is amour-propre in Rousseau's philosophy?
- Excessive self-love and comparison to others, which corrupts natural human compassion and creates inequality.
- How does Rousseau characterize the natural man?
- As solitary, peaceful, naturally compassionate, and motivated by self-preservation rather than vanity.