Deck 9: Justice and the Good Society

Question 1

Rousseau agreed with Hobbes and Locke in seeing the formation of society and laws as a positive development for human beings.

Answer 1

False

Question 2

Free markets are the best way to efficiently decrease inequality, without the assistance of government.

Answer 2

False

Question 3

In the American Declaration of Independence, the phrase "all men are created equal" implies that everyone has the same talents and abilities at birth.

Answer 3

False

Question 4

When a politician is accused of endorsing a "Hobbesian view of the world," this means that politician believes that a strong central authority is needed to ensure security and peace.

Question 5

Lao-Tzu, the author of the Tao Te Ching , would probably have agreed with Thomas Jefferson when he said, "That government is best which governs least."

Question 6

Few philosophers who theorize about the nature of society are able to get completely past the presuppositions that their own societies impose on them.

Question 7

Punishing someone too harshly would be a failure of distributive justice.

Question 8

Equality of opportunity is relatively easy to achieve because inequality in advantages does not usually imply inequality in opportunity.

Question 9

According to John Rawls's first "principle of justice," all persons have an equal right to the most extensive liberty compatible with a like liberty for all.

Question 10

For most people, the good life carries no presupposition about the kind of society in which one should live.

Question 11

According to Karl Marx, workers in capitalist societies become increasingly alienated from themselves and their labor.

Question 12

Adam Smith believed that simple people (like peasants), unlike princes, did not depend on the assistance and cooperation of many thousands of people in making their lives possible.

Question 13

In most societies, legitimate power is equated with rule by tyranny.

Question 14

John Locke's theory of the social contract anticipates Karl Marx in its sensitivity to the need for distributive justice.

Question 15

A country ruled by a handful of powerful men would be called an oligarchy.

Question 16

As best we know, human beings at one time lived exclusively as solitary individuals.

Question 17

John Rawls's two principles of justice are more consistent with a communitarian than a libertarian social ideology.

Question 18

To say that you have a right to something implies that someone else (a person, organization, or government)has a duty or obligation to provide you with that thing.

Question 19

16. If you believe in the idea of a social contract, then you probably accept that the people who are governed are the ultimate source of the legitimacy and authority of the government.

Question 20

The ancient Greeks believed that one had to live in a good society in order to live a good life.

Question 21

Questions about whether everyone should have health insurance are questions of ​

A)distributive justice.
B)retributive justice.
C)reparative justice.
D)alienated labor.

Question 22

If our society were ruled by people who had proven their competence and ability to govern, it would be a ​

A)democracy.
B)meritocracy.
C)plutocracy.
D)aristocracy.

Question 23

"From each according to his abilities; to each according to his needs" was the principle of justice developed by ​

A)Rousseau.
B)Marx.
C)Locke.
D)Hobbes.

Question 24

While virtually everyone agrees that there is a human right not to be tortured, there is less agreement about, for example, whether people have a human right to free health care.

Question 25

Societies ruled by the wealthy are

A)aristocracies.
B)oligarchies.
C)plutocracies.
D)monarchies.

Question 26

In social philosophy, people are conceived as either unequal, where some are "better" than others by virtue of their birth, abilities, or accomplishments, or as ​

A)equal, deserving equal respect and consideration.
B)individuals, and not merely social functions.
C)having rights.
D)having certain obligations to society.

Question 27

In his Republic, Plato may have embraced a viewpoint sympathetic to feminism when he argued that any two people who do the same job, whatever their sex, ought to be educated, brought up, and treated in the same way.

Question 28

Because of their strong commitment to "negative rights," libertarians are likely to think of individuals primarily as negatively free.

Question 29

Feminist philosophers argue that the distinction between nature and culture has often been used as a means by which women are deprived of power.

Question 30

The concept of equality of respect is the presumption that ​

A)all people should have the same opportunities.
B)all animals deserve equal respect.
C)everyone deserves the same treatment.
D)everyone we meet is a human being, with feelings and thoughts, and so worthy of respect.

Question 31

The notion that humans formed societies and laws to protect themselves from being harmed by one another was argued for by ​

A)Jean-Jacques Rousseau.
B)Thomas Hobbes.
C)John Rawls.
D)John Locke.

Question 32

One challenge any society would face in providing for equality of opportunity is that ​

A)people don't appreciate the opportunities that are already there.
B)people are from birth unequal in abilities and advantages.
C)people are often lazy.
D)justice is blind.

Question 33

From Karl Marx's point of view, a situation in which workers work merely for someone else, and not themselves, exemplifies ​

A)anarchy.
B)free will.
C)alienated labor.
D)the invisible hand.

Question 34

B ecause aggressive measures to reform things often end up making things worse, the Tao Te Ching recommends that rulers ​

A)should resign their leadership positions.
B)should just be a "shadowy presence" to the people.
C)should rule with absolute knowledge.
D)should rule with their hearts, not their minds.

Question 35

When philosophers think about society, they ​

A)are usually too afraid to think imaginatively.
B)are, surprisingly, able to detach themselves entirely from the society they actually live in.
C)are, not surprisingly, influenced by the society they actually live in.
D)tend to think, almost exclusively, communistically.

Question 36

The concept of the "invisible hand" was first expressed by ​

A)Karl Marx.
B)Lao-Tzu.
C)Adam Smith.
D)Thomas Jefferson.

Question 37

The concept of the free market is of a set of economic arrangements

A)that are necessarily democratic.
B)where the few rule the many.
C)where the government imposes a rational order on the people through laws.
D)with no, or only a minimal, role for the government.

Question 38

A society that imposed no order but allowed people to do whatever they want would be an ​

A)anarchy.
B)democracy.
C)aristocracy.
D)oligarchy.

Question 39

A system of government in which the ruler is a religious figure or is backed by a religion is a ​

A)tyranny.
B)oligarchy.
C)aristocracy.
D)theocracy.

Question 40

Philosophy itself has been accused of collaborating with racist society in downgrading people of color.

Question 41

Libertarians differ from liberals in that they favor ​

A) "positive rights" to the benefits of society over "negative rights" to be left alone.
B)"negative rights" to be left alone over "positive rights" to the benefits of society.
C)having duties and obligations to the community over having rights.
D)having duties and obligations to speak responsibly over having rights to speak freely.

Question 42

In arguing that "degrading distinctions" ought to be accepted only when necessary, Harriet Taylor implied that ​

A)all present inequalities were acceptable.
B)no inequalities are ever acceptable.
C)a reason must be given why anything should be permitted to one person and not to another.
D)women and men should be separate but equal.

Question 43

What objections do feminist philosophers, such as Susan Bordo and Genevieve Lloyd, make to philosophers such as Descartes and Plato?

Question 44

Rousseau describes life in the state of nature (but not life in society)as a ​

A)place of nearly constant war.
B)place of plenty and natural goodness.
C)place where one's property is in danger of being plundered.
D)godless place.

Question 45

Why isn't legitimate political power accurately expressed in the formula "might makes right"?

Question 46

Distinguish distributive from retributive justice.

Question 47

The right not to be tortured is an example of a ​

A)legal right , and so only valid for anybody in countries that have laws that bar torture.
B)contractual right that depends on the free consent of parties to the contract.
C)human right that applies to everybody, no matter what the society or the circumstances.
D)civil right, determined by a constitution.

Question 48

Contrast the conception of a person as a social function with the conception of a person as an individual, free to define himself or herself.

Question 49

Since it owes a lot to John Locke, one would expect that the U.S. Constitution would ​

A)not address concerns about equality.
B)allow the executive virtually unchecked powers.
C)favor property rights.
D)favor the General Will.

Question 50

What are the four concerns of justice?

Question 51

Why does Kwame Anthony Appiah say that philosophy must consider race?

Question 52

How does social-contract theory view our relations with others in society and with the state?

Question 53

Explain the differences between Martin Luther King's and Malcolm X's visions of the means to achieving racial justice.

Question 54

The feminist philosopher who first argued against the notion that the natural condition of female existence required excessive concern for romantic love and desirability was ​

A)Mary Wollstonecraft.
B)Harriet Taylor.
C)Simone de Beauvoir.
D)Susan Bordo.

Question 55

Communitarians tend to be critical of the concept of a social contract because ​

A)they are doubtful that individual selves, prior to the origins of society, really existed.
B)they believe that society was formed on a religious and not a contractual basis.
C)they don't believe in human rights.
D)they don't believe in contractual rights.

Question 56

If Tim has a right to a job, then ​

A)society has an obligation to provide Tim with opportunities for work.
B)society can, but need not, provide Tim with opportunities for work.
C)"from each according to his abilities; to each according to his needs."
D)Tim has a duty to work.

Question 57

What is Simone de Beauvoir suggesting when she says, "One is not born a woman"?

Question 58

What is the "invisible hand"?

Question 59

Aristotle argues that in sexual reproduction ​

A)women are active and men are passive.
B)men are active and women are passive.
C)men and women are both equally active and passive.
D)women and not men provide the ingredients that actually make the child.

Question 60

Martin Luther King's commitment to civil disobedience was especially influenced by

A)Dewey.
B)Locke.
C)Gandhi.
D)Marx.

Question 61

One aspect of the authority of government is its ability to coerce its citizens to comply with the law so as to prevent them harming one another, and to make them secure from various harms (physical economic, etc.).   Indeed, even libertarians recognize that governments can justifiably limit the freedom of some of their citizens ("criminals")to protect others, as well as punish individuals who break the law (retributive justice). But what are the limits of the government's coercive powers in preventing and punishing crimes? Look at two scenarios focused on preventing crimes.   (Feel free to add or substitute your own scenarios but limit yourself to three.)Suppose the government has access to data mining and other surveillance technologies, which it uses to eavesdrop on all of its citizens in order to prevent terrorist attacks. More dramatically, suppose, as in the movie Minority Report , that the government has the technology to anticipate when crimes are going to be permitted before they are committed. Should the government use these technologies?   In general, what are the limits of the government's powers in making us more secure? What other values and rights must societies balance against security in limiting the government's powers?

Question 62

What makes for a good society? Your essay should address the following questions: What sorts of government (or rulership)are possible? Of these, which are preferable, and why?   In light of the fact that all societies have individuals who have different talents and abilities, and will eventually develop disparities in social position, wealth, and so forth, how should a good society justly manage inequality? More broadly, what sorts of rights should the good society promote and protect?

Question 63

Write an essay that argues for or against the viewpoint that patriarchy (rule by men), sexism, and/or racism have been institutionalized in Western philosophy and culture.   To do this successfully, you will need to argue for or against the existence of a pervasive bias that permeates the thinking of all members of a society and distorts its language and view of the world. In your discussion, do not limit yourself to generalities but give specific examples from specific philosophers we have studied to illustrate how (for example)an emphasis on the superiority of reason over emotion appears to denigrate women, who tend to be more closely identified with emotion. You will probably want to turn back to earlier discussions of philosophical theories for illustrations.

Question 64

Libertarians often defend the notion that an unfettered free market is the best way to satisfy individual needs while also attaining the general good. Critics of libertarianism have argued, however, that free markets alone aren't sufficient to satisfy everyone's needs and don't produce the general good. Write an essay in which you argue for or against the idea of unfettered free markets, from the perspective of a libertarian, liberal, communitarian, or some other political ideology.   Issues you should address include distributive justice, inequality, and the rights of individuals.

Question 65

Thinking of your own country and constitution, write an essay focusing on the following question: As a social-contract theorist, under what conditions could citizens justifiably break the social contract? That is, when would your government no longer be legitimate, and acts of political rebellion (such as civil disobedience)and even revolution be permissible?   Your essay should discuss the social-contract theories of Hobbes, Locke, and Rousseau. It can focus on issues of justice, equality, and individual rights.

Question 66

Suppose that you are a liberal architect of social reform. You and a number of fellow reform architects have basically agreed that a new social contract is needed. It has two baseline principles of justice, which happen to be identical with John Rawls's two "principles of justice" in Chapter 9. Now you must decide how to reform existing social and political institutions in light of these two principles. Create a fictional dialogue between you and one other reform architect in which you argue about particular reforms, based on these principles. Reforms can deal with the way wealth is distributed through taxation (and other means), the provision of health care and medical insurance, welfare and other forms of governmental assistance, and affirmative action (you may have other reforms you want to add-but don't add too many). Try to keep it real (that is, reforms should be possible to implement). You're looking at distributive justice, so issues of equality are of paramount importance. You could also stage this dialogue as an oral presentation in your class or make a video on it.