Question 1

Some rights can be given away or transferred to others. These are called

Accepted Answer

Alienable rights are those that can be transferred or given away to others.

Question 2

Structural violence occurs when

Accepted Answer

Structural violence refers to social structures or institutions that harm people by preventing them from meeting their basic needs or achieving their potential, often through systemic inequality or discrimination.

Question 3

A theoretical social contract is usually intended to justify the defining parts of a social system along with a government or state. It is also hypothetical, although some actual societies may reflect a similar system.

Accepted Answer

A theoretical social contract is a philosophical concept used to justify the legitimacy of a government or state by suggesting that individuals consent, either explicitly or implicitly, to surrender some freedoms in exchange for social order and protection.

Question 4

Social contracts usually provide some incentive for people to follow the contract, whether they themselves are negotiators of an actual contract or as rational self-interested people in hypothetical contracts.

Accepted Answer

Social contracts often include incentives or benefits to encourage adherence, appealing to individuals' rational self-interest, whether in real or hypothetical scenarios.

Question 5

One disadvantage with social contract theories is that they fail to provide any explanation of the fundamental question: why do some people have authority over others?

Accepted Answer

The answer of One disadvantage with social contract theories is...

Question 6

Short term social contracts exist even in everyday life (e.g., students might set up such a contract to work on a project together).

Accepted Answer

Short-term social contracts are informal agreements between individuals to collaborate for a specific purpose, such as completing a project, and are common in everyday interactions.

Question 7

Some people have more natural rights than others.

Accepted Answer

Natural rights are considered inherent and universal, meaning they apply equally to all individuals regardless of any distinguishing factors.

Question 8

Locke maintains that people have no rights until they leave the state of nature and establish a society via a social contract.

Accepted Answer

Locke believed that people have natural rights, such as life, liberty, and property, even in the state of nature, and these rights are preserved when they form a society through a social contract.

Question 9

Even Rawls's theory raises worries regarding the interests and protections of those who are not among the contract's negotiators.

Accepted Answer

Rawls's theory of justice, which is based on the original position and the veil of ignorance, has been critiqued for potentially neglecting the interests of those not represented in the hypothetical contract, such as future generations or non-human animals.

Question 10

Careful consideration shows that a Rawlsian liberal democracy is fairly well-equipped to avoid structural violence, although it's still important that it doesn't suffer from too much moral failure.

Accepted Answer

A Rawlsian liberal democracy, based on principles of justice and fairness, aims to minimize structural violence by ensuring equal rights and opportunities, though it must still guard against moral failures that could undermine these principles.

Quiz 12: Social Contracts and Rights