Deck 8: Society

Question 1

Explain the allegory of the cave and the lessons that it is supposed to impart.

Answer 1

No Answer

Question 2

How do Socrates and the others define justice and injustice? How do they arrive at this definition, and do you think that this is a good definition? Explain.

Answer 2

No Answer

Question 3

Socrates imagines Athens as a just society.

Answer 3

False

Question 4

They define "justice" as each individual trying to gain power.

Question 5

They define "injustice" as a single individual either performing multiple functions or performing a function for which one is not naturally well suited.

Question 6

The philosopher king is a craftsman.

Question 7

The allegory of the cave illustrates that the Good is the last thing one learns.

Question 8

The philosopher wants to hold office.

Question 9

Mathematical knowledge, according to Socrates, is the highest kind of knowledge.

Question 10

What are the three laws of nature? How does Hobbes arrive at them?

Question 11

Summarize Hobbes' argument against the fool in your own words. Do you find it persuasive? Explain.

Question 12

Different human beings have very different abilities, making some of us clearly superior to others.

Question 13

The state of nature is a state of bad government.

Question 14

The fool argues that it is always rational to keep one's contracts.

Question 15

It is irrational to do something that one does not think will benefit one's self-interest.

Question 16

The origin of justice is the obligation to keep one's agreements.

Question 17

Every person has a right to do what he or she judges necessary to preserve his or her own life.

Question 18

The role of the government is to enforce contracts by coercive threats.

Question 19

Human beings seek peace

A) because of God's command.
B) because of chance.
C) on the basis of reason.
D) None of the above

Question 20

The right of nature is

A) everyone's right to party.
B) everyone's right to do what one judges necessary to preserve one's own life.
C) everyone's right to break contracts.
D) the right of the government to punish injustice.

Question 21

The fundamental law of nature is

A) that one ought to seek peace and do what one can to defend oneself in its absence.
B) that one ought to keep one's contracts.
C) that one ought to break one's contracts.
D) that one ought to give up some liberty when others are willing to do so as well and it is necessary for peace.

Question 22

What does Marx mean when he says that the worker is alienated from what he produces? What are some examples that Marx gives to illustrate his point?

Question 23

Marx claims that labor is alienating.

Question 24

Marx claims that the more one produces, the richer one gets.

Question 25

According to Marx, we are glad after we do not have to work.

Question 26

Marx focuses on the fact that

A) the rich get richer.
B) labor is alienating.
C) labor is cheap.
D) the rich have delightful things.

Question 27

Do you agree with Mill that the prevention of harm to others is the only reason that the state is justified in infringing one's freedom? Explain.

Question 28

Do you agree that we are better off allowing all opinions, even ones known to be false, to be aired than we would be if we were to silence some opinions known to be false? Explain.

Question 29

Mill argues that the government is never justified in silencing individuals' expression of their opinions.

Question 30

Mill claims that one does not truly hold a conviction unless one knows the best arguments on both sides of the issue.

Question 31

Mill thinks that we need the government to help us overturn false opinions.

Question 32

Mill claims that the only reason for infringing another's liberty is

A) his or her action will produce bad consequences.
B) he or she will harm himself or herself.
C) he or she will harm others.
D) he or she holds a false opinion.

Question 33

Mill's justification for not permitting state coercion of opinion is

A) mutual well-being.
B) the Constitution.
C) court opinion.
D) the absurdity of arguments against the right to free speech.

Question 34

Mill claims that one does not really hold a conviction unless

A) it is true.
B) one knows the reasons against it.
C) one knows the reasons for it.
D) Both b and c

Question 35

What is the key notion of democracy, according to Dewey? How is this connected to education?

Question 36

Do you agree that the value of an individual's contribution to society is not able to be determined before it is pooled with all others? For example, do you agree that a person's contribution to society cannot in any way be determined on the basis of his or her social status by birth? Explain.

Question 37

Dewey claims that democracy is more than a political form.

Question 38

Dewey claims that democracy is secure.

Question 39

What is civil disobedience, according to King? How does it differ from mere lawbreaking?

Question 40

What are King's complaints about the "white moderate"? Do you find them forceful? Explain.

Question 41

King advocates the overthrow of the U.S. government.

Question 42

King believes that no group of people will remain oppressed forever.

Question 43

King believes that

A) the civil rights activists create violence.
B) the civil rights activists should be protected.
C) the civil rights activists do not respect the law.
D) the civil rights movement should wait for a better time.

Question 44

King addresses himself to

A) the president.
B) Congress.
C) his fellow activists.
D) critical clergymen.

Question 45

What problems does multiculturalism pose for contemporary democracy? Does Valadez offer a compelling strategy for alleviating those problems? Why or why not?

Question 46

How could citizen participation in networks of civic engagement cultivate democratic citizenship in a multicultural society?

Question 47

How could the development of ecological consciousness cultivate democratic citizenship in a multicultural society?

Question 48

Valadez claims that qualities like the willingness for mutual compromise and a sense of social solidarity are important for contemporary multicultural democracies to flourish.

Question 49

Valadez argues that democracy cannot exist alongside multiculturalism.

Question 50

Valadez argues that it is not possible to maintain a strong sense of national identity while retaining cultural traditions.

Question 51

According to Valadez, societal respect for cultural tradition can lead to an increased pride in one's country.

Question 52

According to Valadez, democratic citizenship can be cultivated by citizen participation in networks of civic engagement.

Question 53

According to Valadez, democratic citizenship can be cultivated by the development of ecological consciousness.

Question 54

According to Valadez, civic voluntary associations bind their participants by hierarchical relations.

Question 55

According to Valadez, civic voluntary associations help people learn the civic skills of social cooperation.

Question 56

According to Valadez, the development of ecological consciousness is not a promising strategy for cultivating democratic citizenship.

Question 57

According to Valadez, the development of ecological consciousness could foster a sense of common responsibility.

Question 58

In the chapter, Valadez advances a theory of

A) homogenous democracy.
B) multicultural democracy.
C) homogenous communitarianism.
D) multicultural communitarianism.

Question 59

Valadez claims that contemporary multicultural democracies can flourish only in societies in which individuals exhibit qualities such as

A) willingness for mutual compromise.
B) trust in democratic institutions.
C) a sense of social solidarity.
D) All of the above

Question 60

According to Valadez, societal respect for cultural identity

A) necessarily erodes democracy.
B) necessarily decreases pride in one's country.
C) can increase pride in one's country.
D) Both a and b

Question 61

According to Valadez, a decline in __________ undermines the effectiveness of democratic institutions and the capacity for democratic self-governance.

A) civic character
B) social trust
C) multiculturalism
D) Both a and b

Question 62

According to Valadez, the cause of cultural conflict is primarily

A) historical and existing discrimination and oppression.
B) adherence to cultural traditions in a multicultural society.
C) lack of just sociopolitical institutions for equitable democratic representation.
D) Both a and c

Question 63

In the chapter, Valadez claims that democratic citizenship can be cultivated in multicultural societies by

A) citizen participation in networks of civic engagement.
B) the development of ecological consciousness.
C) the creation of national holidays.
D) Both a and b

Question 64

Civic voluntary associations typically bind their participants by __________ relations.

A) hierarchical
B) horizontal
C) ordered
D) ranked

Question 65

According to Valadez, the development of ecological consciousness can foster a sense of

A) conflicting destinies.
B) common responsibility.
C) individual responsibility.
D) intolerance toward other cultures.

Question 66

Which of the following is an example of a civic voluntary association?

A) sports clubs
B) religious groups
C) labor unions
D) All of the above

Question 67

Valadez claims that civic voluntary associations serve to

A) develop democratic citizenship.
B) develop a sense of solidarity.
C) enhance the influence of citizens.
D) All of the above

Question 68

What, in your own words, are Rawls' two principles of justice? Do you agree that these are just foundations for a society? Explain.

Question 69

Why are the items ruled out by the veil of ignorance not allowed to feature in arguments for principles of justice in the original position?

Question 70

The original position is a place somewhere on the globe.

Question 71

Rawls claims that persons in the original position would choose three principles of justice.

Question 72

Moral persons are rational.

Question 73

The principles of justice are chosen by representatives from all walks of life.

Question 74

The veil of ignorance rules out

A) knowledge of one's place in society.
B) knowledge of one's natural abilities.
C) knowledge of one's name.
D) All of the above

Question 75

What are the three parts of a theory of justice in holdings?

Question 76

Explain the Wilt Chamberlain example. Do you agree with Nozick's conclusion? Explain.

Question 77

Nozick's view is the same as Rawls' view (previous reading).

Question 78

Nozick provides an example using Wilt Chamberlain.

Question 79

Nozick thinks that we are entitled to do with our holdings as we wish.

Question 80

The principle of rectification of injustice does not apply in a wholly just world.