Question 1

Mill was particularly concerned with protecting individuals against "the tyranny of the majority."

Accepted Answer

Mill believed that the greatest threat to individual freedom was the potential for the majority to impose their will on minority groups, and he argued for the protection of individual rights against such tyranny.

Question 2

Rousseau argued that man was essentially evil.

Accepted Answer

Rousseau believed that man was essentially good, but corrupted by society and civilization.

Question 3

Distributive justice calls for the fair distribution of penalties to criminals.

Accepted Answer

Distributive justice refers to the fair distribution of benefits and resources in society, not penalties to criminals. The fair distribution of penalties to criminals falls under the concept of retributive justice.

Question 4

Plato and Aristotle defended slavery.

Accepted Answer

Both Plato and Aristotle believed in slavery and wrote about it in their works. Plato, in his book "The Republic," believed that slavery was necessary for a just society and that some people were born to be slaves, while Aristotle also believed that some people were born to be slaves and justified slavery on the basis of natural inequality.

Question 5

The key to a successful society is cooperation.

Accepted Answer

Cooperation is essential for achieving common goals and maintaining social harmony. Without cooperation, there would be chaos and conflicts in society, which would hinder progress and growth. Therefore, cooperation is key to a successful society.

Question 6

Egalitarianism is the view that all people ought to live and work according their station in life, that is, behave according to the code of justice appropriate to their own social class.

Accepted Answer

Egalitarianism is the belief in equal social, political, and economic rights and opportunities for all individuals, regardless of their social class or station in life. It does not advocate for people to behave according to a specific code of justice based on their social class.

Question 7

Hobbes argued that there was no justice in the state of nature. It came into existence because of society.

Accepted Answer

Hobbes believed that in the state of nature there was no justice, as individuals acted solely in their own self-interest and there was no established system or authority to regulate behavior. He argued that the formation of society and the establishment of a social contract was necessary to create a system of justice and prevent a constant state of war.

Question 8

The United States was founded on the thesis that when the state no longer serves its citizens, the citizens have the right to overthrow that government.

Accepted Answer

This concept is known as the right to revolution and was introduced in the Declaration of Independence. It states that people have the right to alter or abolish any form of government that becomes destructive to their individual rights and establish a new government that serves their interests.

Question 9

Rousseau and Hobbes had very similar social contract theories.

Accepted Answer

Rousseau and Hobbes had very different social contract theories. Hobbes believed in a strong and absolute government to control the violent and selfish nature of humans, while Rousseau believed in a more democratic and egalitarian society where people voluntarily unite to form a society that serves the common good.

Question 10

Locke argued that what gave a person the right to a piece of property was the fact that he "has mixed his labor with it."

Accepted Answer

Locke's labor theory of property states that individuals have a natural right to own property that they have mixed their labor with. According to Locke, this labor creates a link between the individual and the property, giving them a moral and legal claim to it.

Question 11

Carol Gilligan posed two challenges to the ethics of justice. She asserted that ethical systems had historically ignored other dimensions of moral experience, such as compassion and sympathy. They also typically presumed gender neutrality.

Accepted Answer

Carol Gilligan did argue that ethical systems had historically ignored other dimensions of moral experience and presumed gender neutrality.

Question 12

The three basic rights originally listed in the American Declaration of Independence were "life, liberty, and the right to own private property."

Accepted Answer

The three basic rights originally listed in the American Declaration of Independence were "life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness." However, property rights were later added to the Constitution through amendments such as the Fifth Amendment's protection of private property rights.

Question 13

The oldest sense of the word justice is what philosophers called sovereign, or simply, "getting even."

Accepted Answer

The oldest sense of the word justice is more closely related to righteousness and moral rightness, rather than the concept of "getting even" or retribution.

Question 14

In the Republic, Aristotle argued that justice in the state is precisely the same as justice in the individual, that is, a harmony between the various parts for the good of the whole.

Accepted Answer

This statement refers to Plato's Republic, not Aristotle's philosophy. Aristotle believed that justice in the state and justice in the individual were related but not identical concepts.

Question 15

For both Locke and Hume, the ultimate criterion of justice was utility, the public interest, and therefore the satisfaction of the interests of at least most of the citizens.

Accepted Answer

Both Locke and Hume believed that the criterion of justice was utility, which involved promoting the public interest and satisfying the interests of most citizens.

Question 16

Thomas Hobbes is generally credited with the formulation of the theory of the "social contract" for the establishment of governments and society.

Accepted Answer

Thomas Hobbes is known for his theory of the social contract, which argues that individuals in society agree to surrender some of their individual freedoms in exchange for protection and security provided by the government.

Question 17

In "The Emotions Of Justice," Bob Solomon argues for the claim that justice is merely an a priori function of reason

Accepted Answer

In "The Emotions Of Justice," Bob Solomon argues against the claim that justice is merely an a priori function of reason and proposes that emotions are necessary for a proper understanding and application of justice.

Question 18

Malcolm X was one of the leaders of the "Black Nationalist" movement of that era, and he pursued not just justice, but an independent and separate state for black people of all nations.

Accepted Answer

Malcolm X was a prominent leader of the Black Nationalist movement, advocating for the separation of black and white people and the establishment of an independent black state. He believed that integration with white society was not possible and that black people needed to fight for their own rights and self-determination.

Question 19

Henry David Thoreau truly believed in the american government's right to tax its citizens.

Accepted Answer

Henry David Thoreau was known for his belief in individual liberty and resistance to unjust laws, including taxes. He famously refused to pay his poll tax in protest against the Mexican-American War and slavery, and wrote the essay "Civil Disobedience" advocating for nonviolent civil disobedience against unjust laws.

Question 20

Positive freedom refers to the freedom to realize one's own potential.

Accepted Answer

Positive freedom is often associated with the ability to achieve personal goals and fulfill one's potential, while negative freedom refers to the absence of external constraints or interference.

Quiz 8: Justice