Exam 1 Shortened Study Guide PDF

2 dominant political traditions: liberalism and republicanism Liberalism = values individual liberty and restriction of government, but often at the expense of community Republicanism = prioritizes community and a more active government at the expense of individuality 3...

2 dominant political traditions: liberalism and republicanism Liberalism = values individual liberty and restriction of government, but often at the expense of community Republicanism = prioritizes community and a more active government at the expense of individuality 3 key values of human society and their problems 1. Freedom = what are the limits of freedom? 2. Virtue = is this decided by individuals or government? 3. Welfare (prosperity) = how do we promote prosperity and is inequality okay? Aristotle’s philosophy Justice is teleological Justice is honorific If something has a telos, then those who are best at it should do it Purpose of politics is to cultivate virtue Whoever is best able to help society fulfill its telos should rule Implications of ancient liberty o Aligns with republicanism in that community and virtue are more important than individual preferences o Benjamin Constant said this comes at the risk of individual rights Libertarianism Focused on satisfying individual preferences rather than virtue or telos Implications o Minimal state is preferred (minimal government influence) Collective action problem A situation where people would be better off if the cooperate, but conflicting interests/goals prevent them from cooperating How to get people to cooperate o Selective incentives o Political entrepreneurs o Ideologies or belief systems o Coercion Roger Williams  SEPARATE CHURCH AND STATE Distinguished between civil and religious authority Everyone should have the freedom to do as they wish John Cotton Nobody should be given more liberty or power than necessary Boundaries are needed both for those who rule and those who are ruled. Main difference between Roger Williams and John Cotton Assumptions about human nature. Williams is a bit closer to republicanism Cotton is a bit closer to liberalism Eventually, both developed toward liberalism Roger Williams argues for church/state separation, that government shouldn’t coerce, and people should have religious freedom John Cotton talks about “ordered liberty.” Authority should have boundaries, everyone should follow God’s commandments. Church and state don’t need to be separate. Origins of government power If we assume people can't moderate individual desires for cooperation, then we need to make some level of government coercion possible Thomas Hobbes o The justification for government power is survival Historical options for justifying coercive power o Divine right of kings o Theocracy o Aristocracy o Democracy Jamestown and motivation for cooperation Settlers and Indians tried to find ways to cooperate but John Smith and Wahunsenacawh competed for sovereignty and use of the land. John Rolfe married Pocahontas and developed a new strand of tobacco, which led to a need for more land for the settlers, increasing tensions Puritan concept of sovereignty  Consent and covenant. Specify the relationship between individual and group. Pre-reformation, it was thought that all power originates in God and He shares that power through the church and the king. Martin Luther Challenged the idea of the church interceding between God and man. Transfer of religious responsibility to the individual and away from the church. Turning point on the relationship between individuals and authority. Government is just a necessary evil to prevent chaos from spreading. John Calvin All are evil by nature. There aren’t any rewards for good behavior. Government is meant to glorify God. Politics involves 3 elements: God, secular authority, and the individual John Winthrop City on a hill Everyone in a community are part of the body of Christ Church and state are separate but share a common purpose since God’s law is the only law that keeps us free Freedom is defined as striving for one’s personal telos, making the right choices, and submitting to God through covenants o Natural liberty = people can do what they want regardless of authority o Civil liberty = You must include God in the discussion when thinking about government and the good society. Economic systems 1. Command or planning = government creates cooperation artificially, such as mercantilism or communism 2. Market = free exchange creates cooperation Adam Smith’s The Wealth of Nations Government is limited to encouraging free exchange. Like the libertarian minimal state concept, which is the idea that the government is limited to protecting liberty. Important concepts o 1. value of markets o 2. self-interest as motivation for exchange (assumption about human nature)  o 3. specialization ▪ How do we decide what to specialize in? The law of comparative advantage. Everyone is a low-cost producer of something and we specialize in producing goods for which we have the lowest opportunity cost. ▪ Benefits Full employment of resources Widest possible gains from exchange Economic interdependence ▪ Potential costs Lack of self-sufficiency Goods, services, and jobs will move across international boundaries. o 4. invisible hand (everyone gets what they need in exchange ▪ People promote the interests of society more than they intend to 2 assumptions in markets o 1. people are rational about their interests, having consistent preferences o 2. people know better than their rulers what will lead to their happiness Government and markets o Prevent coercion and fraud o Provide basic transportation/communication networks o Define property rights o Enforce exchange agreements o Provide money Gene Sperling Sperling’s argument is that policy choices determine the type of competition that we promote, so we should promote virtuous behavior. Basketball “punch rule” example o 1. economics should have rules from government o 2. the rules affect what we do in the economy o 3. the rules we pick reflect what we value Mayflower compact Early example of people governing themselves with a social contract Cotton Mather  Working is a way to glorify God because you’re using the skills He gave you to serve others. YOUR JOB “MATHERS” Adam Smith would agree with Cotton Mather in that he valued specialization, but Adam Smith was more about people acting in their own self-interest. Comparison of Roger Williams, John Winthrop, and John Cotton Roger Williams = religious conscience. Let people make their own decisions and God will judge. Separate church and state. John Winthrop = city on a hill. Civil and natural liberty. John Cotton = boundaries. Power is with the people and nobody should have too much. John Winthrop and John Cotton both believed people could be corrupted All 3 of these men were Puritans and fought for individual freedom, but they differed in terms of religious freedom. Sandel’s view on economics Prices aren’t always the best way to allocate scarce resources; different activities should be governed by different norms Brennan and Jaworski’s views on economics (criticism of Sandel) Using lines to distribute goods punishes those with less time, so it simply creates another set of inequalities. Supply, demand, and profits predict when individuals enter the market to produce and sell a scarce good. Utilitarianism = government should do whatever produces the greatest good for the greatest number Virtue = cost/benefit analysis Freedom = think rationally and clearly about freedom Welfare = the greatest good for the greatest number Jeremy Bentham o Maximize pleasure while minimizing suffering by cost/benefit analysis John Stuart Mill o Think about long-term utility instead of short-term John Locke’s Second Treatise on Government “state of nature” where everyone lives with freedom and equality  Social contract = the consent of the governed is necessary for the legitimacy of government Differs from utilitarianism because inalienable rights can’t be taken away even if doing so would maximize benefit to others. 5 principles o 1. natural rights of life, liberty, and property o 2. create government to protect rights o 3. government’s purpose is to protect rights o 4. government consent comes from the people o 5. people have a duty to reform or abolish government if it doesn’t protect rights Society protect rights by rule of law vs rule of will Principles of the rule of law Generality o Laws must apply to broad categories of people and not target anyone. Due process o Laws are to be applied equally and fairly to everyone and defendants have a right to fairness and humane treatment. Publicity o Laws must be widely known, certain, and reliably enforced. Prospectivity o Laws must apply to future actions, never past actions (or ex post facto) Consent o Laws must be generally acceptable to those who live by them Benjamin Franklin Libert is self-made through reason (how we determine what we want and how to get it) and industriousness Jonathan Boucher We are here to follow God’s laws and revolt is only necessary in very rare cases The glorious revolution Parliament gained sovereignty over monarchy and this was the origin of the English Bill of rights Conflicts over sovereignty in the colonies Colonists weren’t directly represented in parliament Economic tensions Navigation acts = tariffs and other mercantilist trade restrictions Stamp act = first direct tax on colonies by parliament, ultimately repealed after boycotts Quartering act Townshend acts = crack down on smuggling Tea act Intolerable acts = closed Boston port and imposed military rule Colonial response Committees of correspondence Continental congress Declaration of independence Written by Jefferson with help from John Adams and Benjamin Franklin Intended to be an expression of the American mind Government is connected to a foundation of “self-evident” by the laws of God and nature. 4 sections o 1. opening o 2. theoretical core ▪ No natural political authority exists, so people are naturally free, naturally equal, and have natural rights. The civil war was fought over this idea. o 3. evidence ▪ When to revolt? 1. government shouldn’t be changed for transient causes 2. evidence of repeated injury 3. other means tried first 4. but a duty o 4. conclusion What did the declaration declare? o Right of revolution o Case against the king  o Power of the people (consent of the governed) o Natural rights o Equality o Free and independent states o A new nation – one people Thomas Paine, “Common Sense” Thoughts on the state of American affairs The sun never shined on a cause of greater worth Oppose not only tyranny but also the tyrant Critiques hereditary monarchy and makes a case for constitutional government Abigail Adams and John Adams correspondence Abigail Adams o Don't put unlimited power in the hands of males o Liberty requires some notion of equality o Males are naturally tyrannical o Consent and representation are important for women too John Adams’ response o The revolution is undermining traditional understandings of authority, but it has its limits. Abigail’s rejoinder o Women have the power to free themselves, subdue men, and throw the authority of men at their feet. Thomas Jefferson, “Notes on the State of Virginia” “All men are created equal,” but Jefferson sees obstacles for a multi-racial society because, in his view, the races are physically, mentally, and morally unequal. Benjamin Banneker and Thomas Jefferson correspondence Banneker to Jefferson o Blacks and whites are more similar than you think o We are all entitled to liberty o Banneker felt that Jefferson didn’t live up to the declaration of independence. Jefferson’s response  o Jefferson does not commit to the more extensive or universal understanding of liberty and rights Battles of Trenton and Princeton Thomas Paine wrote “the American Crisis” Washington encouraged his men to re-enlist Turning points in the revolutionary war o British largely driven from New Jersey o Renewed optimism about the war effort o Increased enlistment in the army o French government releases supplies for the war effort Slaves’ petition to the Massachusetts governor Thomas Gage Connection between natural rights and religion o Can't serve 2 masters o Born slaves in a free country given by God o Family should be united not divided Elizabeth Cady Stanton, “Seneca Falls Declaration of Sentiments Why copy the language of the declaration? o She was mocking the founding fathers and using the strategy of declaring independence from men. Sojourner Truth, “Ain’t I a woman?” Arguments about ability and equality o She works hard and does a lot so she should be treated like a proper woman o Double standard of claiming women and slaves are inferior but expecting them to do everything. Plato Promoted the idea of “philosopher kings” where the best people are chosen as leaders Jean-Jacques-Rosseau People are naturally good but can be corrupted John Rawls  “veil of ignorance” thought experiment. If we had our minds wiped and started over, we would create a fair and just society.