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42 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
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Normative claims
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should be/ ought
i. “a right to”, “a duty to” “an obligation” ii. ex: Hobbes believes that in the state of nature people have a right to defend themselves |
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Descriptive claims
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describing how things are
i. ex: people in the state of nature use reason to know to fend for themselves |
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Liberalism
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a. Certain basic rules so that people can live together in harmony – so people don’t step on others’ toes
b. But outside those rules you can do whatever you want c. Ex: communism is not liberal because it tells you how to run your everyday life |
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Hobbes’ role of the sovereign
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a. Need to confer all our power on one man or else people are in a state of war
b. There is a social contract theory – an agreement upon all citizens to power to a government to act in our name i. It is natural to create this contract in a state of nature c. there is no such thing as injustice committed by a sovereign i. because there is no higher power than the sovereign to act as judge |
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Types of consent - Locke
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a. Tacit consent – go along with an agreement, though you do not say anything
i. Requires knowledge ii. If you don’t know the consequences, not consent iii. Tacit consent requires options b. Expressed consent – openly/ explicitly agree c. Hypothetical consent – you believe the person would consent if they had a full amount of information |
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Fundamental Law of Nature: Hobbes’ view
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i. No person ought to harm another
ii. Cannot take away another’s right to prosperity, health, etc iii. Hobbes has emphasis on self-preservation iv. If anyone violates the law of nature each person has a right to enforce it themselves v. Leads to a state of war |
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Fundamental Law of Nature: Locke's view
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i. No one ought to harm another in his life, property, health or possessions
ii. Preservation of mankind iii. No one has the right to forfeit his own life or the life of another |
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“Hobbesian circle”
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a. in order for peace, there is a necessity for a sovereign
b. a sovereign requires agreement and agreement requires a sovereign c. this is a criticism of Hobbes (Hobbes doesn’t address this) |
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idea of state of nature in political philosophy
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a. by defining what the satte of nature is in different philosophies, you can determine what type of government
b. determines what type of sovereign in controlling the state of nature |
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Why is breaking a covenant is going against Hobbes’ view of self-preservation?
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a. ruining one’s reputation in the long run is not beneficial to self-preservation
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“natural equality”
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a. everyone has an equal right to property
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Hobbes’ view of diffidence (distrust)
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a. Diffidence leads to distrust
b. No way to predict what someone else is going to do so using rationality you do what benefits yourself c. Prisoner’s dilemma i. No way to predict if the other person is going to rat you out ii. So you act for your best interest iii. However if there was a common uniting factor one would see that it would be beneficial to each individual to act in accordance with each other – need a sovereign d. People see each other as competitors – leads to a state of war e. One of the three principles that cause quarrel |
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Property rights according to Hobbes
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a.Determined by the sovereign
i. Given rights to property ii. Also given the means of production (factories and profits) b.don’t have any property rights till the state gives it to you i. rights given by the sovereign c.Cannot use this right to keep sovereign off lands i. Sovereign is not part of any agreement d.fundamentally it should be divided equally e.real rights to private property i. people put more work into production knowing they get the benefit |
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What is “Locke’s provisos”
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a. Should leave enough that is good and enough for everyone else
b. Cannot let property go to waste i. Take only as much as you can use |
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Locke’s notion of the right to self-enforce laws of nature
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a. There is a critique of the principle of self-enforcement that notes that there are personal biases
b. Locke replies that the sovereign is also personally biased but has the power to support his biases c. Hobbes believes that it is better to give the power to the sovereign |
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revolutions to overthrow government (according to Locke)
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a.when can there be a revolution
i. when the state acts wrongly – there is a legitimate right to resist ii. when the government makes an alternation without the consent of the people and against the common interest iii. subjection of the people into a foreign power iv. whenever the legislator takes away or destroys the property b.when there is a revolution i. back to the state of nature ii. back to “appealing to heaven” – now in the state of war iii. even when in a war, there are still laws or nature c.nature of revolutions i. is against authority and not a specific person ii. people through consent have the right to establish a new body |
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fundamental task of the state according to Locke
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a.protect private property
i. property, life, and liberty ii. also to serve the common good iii. problem: sometimes the common good is in conflict with one of those three things, like taxing promotes common good but takes away property |
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Locke’s view of taxation
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a. Only can tax what the majority of landowners consent
b.Need money to protect each individual’s right to private property i. Ex: to raise an army c.(possibly also when it provides a benefit for the greater good) |
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revolutions to overthrow the government (according to Hobbes)
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a. his most important principle is the idea that people can use rationality to have a belief in self-preservation
b. can overthrow the government if they impose on their self-preservation |
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consequentialist ethics
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i. maximizes the “good”
ii. what is the good? – hedonism – it is possible to be a consequentialist but not a hedonist iii. Bentham has no restrictions on what is good iv. Bentham thinks utility does this bc often vile pleasures are followed by pain |
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deontological ethics
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i. “right” right comes before “good” – justices comes before “good” of the outcome
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Bentham’s principle of utility
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a.How people should act in all aspects of life so it is beneficial to the party in question
b.For an individual – whatever causes you the most pleasure for your whole life c.Community – for everyone equally i. Problem of distribution of utility |
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Diminishing marginal utility
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a. The more that you have any particular good, the less each new increment of the good contributes to your utility
b. Ex: from earning 0-5$ get 10 units of pleasure, but from 5-10$ get 8 units of pleasure c. Not that you give everyone the same amount to start off with i. Instead it is that everyone ends up with similar amount of everything in the end ii. Because you give the person who has no apples an apple they will ultimately be happier than giving the person with ten apples an apple iii. Ultimately increases utility and lends itself to egalitarianism d. Bentham’s view – assume the amount of wealth correlates to the amount of pleasure (?) |
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what makes the rules of justice?
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a. security is particularly important for utility
b. shows how justice is rooted in utility |
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how is quality determined?
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a. Government believes they know both sides of the situation
b. Paternalism – people using their own views of what is better and imposing it on other people who have never tried the alternatives c. See what people choose when given the choice – makes us wish that good was a simpler principle |
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secondary principles
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a. rules supported/ serve the principle of utility
b. say that most of our rules of morality are also secondary principles i. basically that our rules of morality also serve utility ultimately |
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1. Hobbes social contract
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a. An agreement upon all citizens to give power to a government to act in our name
b. This contract is not with the government but rather with the other people i. We consent to the idea of a government c. In the state of nature we would naturally create this contract d. Common wealth i. A group of people who follow this contract e. Gives all authority to the state i. Not part of any agreement so there are no rules that the state/ legislature needs to follow |
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2. State of nature
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a. State of man is based on desiring to fulfill certain desires
b. No central government c. No justice and no injustice d. Have nothing – no true domain i. Because there are no true rights, there is a free-for-all of property e. Locke’s view of the state of nature i. No person ought to meet another ii. Rational response is to enforce laws and put them into our own hands iii. There is a natural right to property f. Hobbes’ view of the sovereign i. There is no such thing as injustice committed by the sovereign ii. There is no social contract with the sovereign g. Locke’s view of the sovereign i. Constricted ii. No person has the right to forfeit their life, so consequently the government does not have the right to take your life without consent |
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3. The idea that nothing can be unjust – a descriptive claim
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a. No person has a natural right to property– descriptive claim
b. However people “should” rightfully defend themselves in the state of nature – normative c. So there is no justice in the state of nature |
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4. accumulation of private property according to Locke
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a. God initially gives the earth to mankind in general
b. Limits i. Must invest your own labor ii. Can only take what you can use iii. Must leave enough and as is good for other people’s survival iv. Enough so that people are better than they would have been in the state of nature |
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5. Money
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a. In the state of nature a system of money might naturally develop
b. Ways that money adheres to the provisos i. Can be used to increase productivity – can use the productivity to benefit more people ii. Money does not rot c. by accepting money you are tacitly consenting i. unlimited right to private property – allow us to pursue as much money as possible d. OBJECTIONS TO THE MONEY ARGUMENT? |
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Similarities between locke and hobbes
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- want to escape the state of nature
- separate from a religious monarch - neither believe in a divine right |
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Locke -- the three types of power
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a. parental – given to the children until they are old enough to use reason
b. political – given up to the hands of society and to all governors c. despotical – arbitrary power of one man over another i. nature does not give this power ii. can only be given through forfeiture iii. captives are given to this iv. when a person/ nation conquers they only have right to the persons not to their land or those who were associated with them |
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Issues with Locke’s argument
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a. There are 3 basic qualities that sometimes collide
i. Life, liberty, and land b. tragedy of commons i. people do not need to worry about conserving resources ii. need to give enough incentive c. no concept of “deserving” |
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prerogative
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a. power of doing public good without a rule
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Bentham
I. ideas that are adverse to that of utility |
a. ascetisim
i. people noticed that actions that tend to increase pleasure in the short run tend to diminish pleasure in the long run ii. because of this they thought that actions are good that increase pain and are bad that increase pleasure b. sympathy i. based too much on feeling ii. can vary too much – too many personal biases |
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Bentham -- four sources of pleasure and pain
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a. physical
b. religious c. moral d. political |
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Bentham-- how to measure pleasure of pain
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a. intensity, duration, certainty, propinquity
b. how many people does it effect, for how long |
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I. Mill’s theory of utilitarianism
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a. Rejects simple view of utilitarianism
i. Question is not what you do desire, but rather what you should desire ii. consider what someone would want if they had all of the information b. assumes that there is some commonality of pleasures i. has a higher authority that assumes what people would want or that there are some higher pleasures ii. have to take into account that some pleasures are better than others c. has to take into account total pleasure |
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Mill -- distinction between justice and morality
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a. morality includes imperfect benevolence (not toward a specific person but just charitable acts) where as justice only is perfect duties (where you owe a specific person something and follow through, or follow through on your right not to kill Bobby)
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III. Mill’s belief in the visible hand
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a. Creating punishments/ sanctions to get people to contribute to public goods and decreases free rider problem
b. Requires everyone to contribute c. Through taxes, etc d. Includes the free market |
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V. objections to utilitarianism
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i. the idea that certain actions are unjust
ii. Mill argues that reactions to injustice are overtly sentimental iii. Also argues that overall it is important to have these reactions of repulsion to repulsive acts so that in the long run people do not all kill each other or continue in the extreme – this will ultimately benefit social utility iv. Makes you think about the long-term consequences of an action vs being swept away by the short term benefits 1. People have seen in the past over centuries that the idea of justice has maximized utility 2. And so the idea of justice has been formed over time v. We have learned which rules maximize social utility and those are the ones that have been socially favored over time |
