Exam 2 Study Guide

Question 1

Who was Hannah Arendt and why is she important?

Answer 1

a german born philosopher who provided readers with works that offer a way of thinking and teaches how to think instead of offering a set of arguments to think. She is important because she believed that thinking begins and comes out of our experiences.

Question 2

How would you concisely summarize Arendt’s legacy?

Answer 2

She is one of the most influential political theorists of the 20th century and believed that things in history happened for a reason and we should learn from them. She studied the human condition and how humans actions have changed throughout history.

Question 3

Why does Hannah Arendt place so much importance on the concept of “thinking”? What is her understanding of what it means to think? Why does she describe her way of thinking as “thinking without a banister”? (See Hill pgs. 9-12, 208-210; Arendt on Arendt pgs. 443-444, 473)

Answer 3

She believes we have this ability to think but don’t ever actualize it and use it in the ways we should because we all need to be able to think and answer questions. Thinking without a banister means that we have lost the safety net of thinking and need to get past it to be able to open our minds and truly think.

Question 4

Why is solitude essential to thinking? What does she mean by the 2-in-1 dialogue? (Seel Hill pgs. 11-12)

Answer 4

she believes you must be able to experience the silent dialogue of thought away from the public.The 2-in-1 is a way of working out what it means to be a person.

Question 5

Why does Arendt describe her way of thinking about the world as “pearl diving”? What does this mean (see Hill pgs. 10-11)

Answer 5

Because she says her work deals with elements of the past once they have undergone their sea-change. It is a way of approaching history in a fragmented way where one can bring to the surface the good parts of history and build upon them.

Question 6

Arendt states, “There are no dangerous thoughts; thinking itself is a dangerous act”? Why is this so? Why does thinking have the power “to make us come undone”? (see Hill pg. 11)

Answer 6

Thinking has the power to unsettle the way a person understands the world and it has the power to make us come undone because it makes us question things around us and look from different perspectives.

Question 7

Is Arendt more interested in teaching us what to think or how to think?

Answer 7

How to think, she never offers a set of arguments for us to think

Question 8

Why does Arendt reject ideological thinking and identity politics? How do these undermine our individuality and critical thinking?

Answer 8

She never subscribed to a particular school of thought and had a commitment to understanding the different ways of thinking and led to the rejection of those types of thinking.

Question 9

What does Arendt mean by the term “natality”?

Answer 9

As humans, we are born with the capacity for new beginnings; we have the capacity to act anew and afresh; and the consequences of our actions are never fully predictable or predetermined

Question 10

What does Arendt claim is the basic subject of our thought? (see Hill, pg. 7; Arendt on Arendt pg. 449)

Answer 10

Experience

Question 11

What is a totalitarian government? How does it arise? What are its characteristics? Its aims (see Arendt’s “ On the Nature of Totalitarianism)

Answer 11

a. Totalitarianism is the most radical denial of freedom
b. A force which abolishes both classes and civil society and which transforms all social groups into a structureless mass of individuals (it allows no space for free action)
c. It claims to have discovered and to execute the laws of nature/history that are based upon perennial movement (not reason or permanence)
d. It sacrifices the individual for the sake of the “species”
e. It substitutes terror (instead of law) as the essence of gov’t and as a tool for subjugating its citizens
f. Differs from despotism and tyranny
g. Totalitarianism erases any possibility for spontaneity in society, in speaking, acting; it is not interested in new beginnings.
h. Iron Band of otalitarianism compresses us together; atomization of the masses –
people subscribe to forms of ideological thinking which doesn’t allow for
movement and thought;
i. thus, people become superfluous as they lose dignity, community, and meaning,
and love
j. characterized by radical acts of erasure of remembrance
k. uses techniques of exploitation, suppression, murder and creates a complicity of
the victims in their own demise
l. It morally ruins both the victims and the perpetrators before it terminates them
m. Individuals respond to lies by thinking that is great that you have made a lie
(people become o.k. with untrue statements because it is effective/comports with
a particular ideology)
n. Individuals stop judging and thinking according to the categories of truth/lies
(truth loses its meaning)
o. Totalitarianism seeks to fabricate the truth
p. Impulse that leaves to masses behaving in irrational ways (rationalism is no
longer a metric) – masses who are not thinking
q. . Totalitarian regimes also slowly erode the abilities of individuals to question
immoral actions and practices and to think for themselves
r. It claims the right to global rule/ conquest

Question 12

How do Montesquieu and Kant influence Arendt’s thinking about forms of government?

Answer 12

a. Montesquieu - discovered that governments have both structures and associated principles of action
i. Republics - based upon virtue and love of equality
ii. Monarchies - based upon honor and passion for distinction
iii. Tyrannies - based upon the will to dominate springing from fear (despair over the impossibility of action), anxiety, loneliness, and impotence
b. Kant - divides structures of gov’t into two basic categories
i. Republican forms - has separated/divided powers
ii. Despotic forms - has powers (executive, legislative, judgement) consolidated

Question 13

How do totalitarian governments differ from other forms of government, particularly from tyrannical governments (i.e. what makes totalitarian government unique)? (see, e.g. pgs. 345-348 of “On the Nature of Totalitarianism”)?

Answer 13

Their use of violence, specifically terror to keep people in fear and isolation so they don’t revolt

Question 14

Be able to discuss the two primary manifestations of totalitarian governments in the 20th century and their characteristics.

Answer 14

nazi germany- hitler believed he was an executioner of laws higher than himself
Stalinist Russia- destroyed real and imaginary enemies in order to gain power and execute his plans
both used extreme force and fear to gain power

Question 15

What roles do ideology, terror, and loneliness play in totalitarian regimes? (see pgs. 349-360 of “On the Nature of Totalitarianism)

Answer 15

In totalitarian regimes, Montesquieu’s principles of action is replaced by ideologyas the driving force.
Only isolated individuals can be totally dominated

Question 16

What effects does totalitarianism have on its citizens/subjects?

Answer 16

i. Individuals stop thinking according to categories of truth and lies
ii. Rationalism is no longer a metric
iii. Morally ruins both victims and perpetrators
iv. Radical acts of erasure of memory
v. Individuals become superfluous/ lose dignity/ lose individuality

Question 17

What did Arendt mean by the phrase “ the Banality of evil”. To whom did she apply this term? Why?

Answer 17

• Evil is the lack of good and it spreads very easily, Eichmann was not “naturally” evil, he just had a disconnect between his own rational thoughts and his actions, he just had shallow thoughts and did what he was told without any internal conflict.
• Adolf Eichmann

Question 18

Who wrote The City of God and the Confessions?

Answer 18

St. Augustine

Question 19

Be able to summarize Augustine’s political legacy.

Answer 19

That political laws should be in accord with natural or eternal law, essentially politics should align with God’s reasoning.

Question 20

What was the basic purpose/function of the state according to Augustine?

Answer 20

The purpose of the state is to maintain law and order and help keep the wicked under control through the fear of punishment. The state is a divine gift from God and is an expression of divine justice and mercy.

Question 21

What is the basic purpose of our life as a human according to Augustine?

Answer 21

God designed all humans to live together in the “bond of peace.” We as humans should live in the conception of peace as well.

Question 22

Why does Augustine often make reference to an interior “civil war” that characterizes our life as humans?

Answer 22

Our desire to be virtuous and the vice within us.

Question 23

How did the concept of original sin impact Augustine’s political philosophy?

Answer 23

He believed that it affected the guilt within everyone of us.

Question 24

Why does Abramson assert that Augustine “is a philosopher of the will’s resistance to rational knowledge” (pg. 128)?

Answer 24

Even though Augustine was around in the time of Paganism which has a decent separation of religion and philosophy based, he ran with Christianity to shape his theory which relied heavily or thinking based on God’s consequences.

Question 25

According to Abramson, why is politics possible for Augustine? Why is it necessary? (pg. 134)

Answer 25

Politics is possible because human beings are capable of uniting in the good of friendship and community. Politics is necessary because the very love of things human leads us astray and needs to be disciplined.

Question 26

If politics cannot bring us justice, what can it bring us according to Augustine? (Abramson, pg. 135)

Answer 26

States may not bring us justice, but they may bring us peace. In addition, although only the church can teach the true moral values, belonging to a political community can make a certain sort of friendship possible which, among the good humans, is to be highly prized.

Question 27

Why did Augustine argue that the love of God was the central principle of morality and justice?

Answer 27

Because it gives society a unified purpose or meaning.

Question 28

What was the supreme good according to Augustine, and what was the supreme evil?

Answer 28

Eternal life with God is the Supreme good and damnation/ eternal death is the supreme evil.

Question 29

What is "justice" according to Augustine and is it possible on this earth?

Answer 29

Justice will always be imperfect in human societies, the will of God is the basis for actual justice as well as morality and law, he also sees justice as not being a political concept but rather something that can only be found in the "commonwealth whose founder and ruler is Christ" - It is giving everyone else what he says is due; he takes Cicero's take on Rome and Plato's Republic to be the basis for it.

Question 30

What are the differences between kingdoms and republics according to Augustine ? (Abramson. pgs. 137-138)

Answer 30

In Kingdoms there is no semblance of an agreement on ruling, only a lust for power. By contrast, even though republics do not embody true justice, they can embody a kind of agreement between rulers and ruled.

Question 31

What is Augustine's basic viewpoint on slavery? Did St. Augustine believe slavery was natural, or a result of sin?

Answer 31

he thought slavery was a natural form of power over another but that it is not intended by god and it arose from sin

Question 32

What characterized the city of God (the heavenly city)? Who are its citizens? (see pgs. 136-137, Abramson)

Answer 32

The city of God is characterized as a place where individuals who love god and are driven by the love of god go- the members are predestined there and while they are on earth they live through their faith and are blessed with God's love of them and love God; they also have the church as God's representative on Earth; true justice is only in the city of God.

Question 33

What characterized the earthly city (the city of man)? Who are its citizens? (see 136-137, Abramson)

Answer 33

Earthly city includes those who are already set for damnation- it's also a city that can never have justice as it was founded on crime and violence from original sin and driven by a lust for power/domination

Question 34

According to Augustine, why should we not expect to find lasting happiness in this earthly life?

Answer 34

Basically, Augustine argued that the human race can be divided between those who love God and those who love themselves and the world. He believes that the best political community that we can hope for here on earth is one that provides incomplete peace and order. The state is the product of humanity's sinful condition and is divinely ordained to provide control and restrain evil.

Question 35

Which thinker that we studied wrote Summa Theologica and On Kingship?

Answer 35

St. Thomas Aquinas

Question 36

Who is St. Thomas Aquinas and why is he important?

Answer 36

One of the greatest scholastic philosophers, he offered 5 proofs of Gods existence and is known to have synthesize aristotle and christianity.

Question 37

St. Thomas Aquinas argued that church and state play complimentary roles in advancing human fulfillment.

Answer 37

True

Question 38

_____ argued that the state should secure the common good by keeping the peace, organizing the activities of citizens into harmonious pursuits, providing for the resources to sustain life, and preventing obstacles to the good life?

Answer 38

Aquinas

Question 39

St. Thomas Aquinas defines ____ as "an ordinance of reason for the common good, made by him who has care of the community, and promulgated."

Answer 39

law

Question 40

Know and be able to define/describe St. Thomas Aquinas' four kinds of law: eternal, natural, divine, human

Answer 40

eternal - The sum of God's decrees that govern the universe. natural - Human values are embedded in human nature divine - Law that comes as a direct revelation from God to man. human - The set of laws proclaimed by human authorities as they apply natural law. All about reason and rationality.

Question 41

What are the basic natural law according to Aquinas?

Answer 41

self preservation, propagation, the desire to seek and know truth

Question 42

Why did Aquinas argue that unjust human laws are perversions of law and thus are not binding upon us?

Answer 42

Because they have no standing ground and do not have any godly reasoning behind them

Question 43

Describe St. Thomas Aquinas' preferred form of government. In an ideal world? In a practical sense? Why?

Answer 43

Monarchy - Derived from his religious views.

Question 44

How did St. Thomas Aquinas' attempt to synthesize faith and reason? What was his view on the relationship of faith/ of philosophy to theology?

Answer 44

Believed rational thought was very important, and would never contradict what God had to say, but faith has to be added to reason in order for mankind to achieve their ultimate happiness and ultimate end Believed that ultimately, philosophy is still subservient to theology.

Question 45

Under what circumstance does Aquinas allow for rebellion against a tyrant? Why does he caution restraint against this course of conduct? What can you do if no human aid is forthcoming against a tyrant?

Answer 45

- All human authorities are only there because God allowed them to be there, they may not be ruling a virtuous, Godly rule, but God is letting them do it for some reason which is why he's very hesitant about taking up arms, and rebelling against authority - Also recognizes that some laws that are created do not have the true character of law, and thus should not necessarily be followed - You could end up making your situation worse than it was, to begin with.

Question 46

What is the purpose/role of the state according to Aquinas?

Answer 46

it is a natrual institution, derived from nature of humanity whose function is to secure the common good by keeping the peace, organizing activities for citizens and providing resources to sustain life

Question 47

What is humanity's basic purpose/end according to Aquinas?

Answer 47

To follow the common law, a godly life, and achieve happiness

Question 48

Why does Aquinas argue that God gives human free will? How does he argue that acts cannot be moral if they are not free?

Answer 48

Because the state is willed by god and because the human nature and law are a product of Gods reason and wisdom acts cannot be moral if they are not free due to the fact that he believes we always need to follow our conscience and free will

Question 49

What are the 3 basic principles of Aquinas' just war theory?

Answer 49

Just cause – attack must be based on the wrongdoing of the party (they deserve it on account of some fault) Right intention (to advance good or avoid evil) Lawful authority (must be pursued by the sovereign who is entrusted with the care of the common good)

Question 50

Aquinas came up with 5 proofs for God's existence using his rational thought (not derived from faith). However, he argued that knowing that God exists is different than knowing his essense/character/. For this, we must rely on divine revelation.

Answer 50

he argued that knowing that God exists is different than knowing his essence/character. For this, we must rely on divine revelation

Question 51

Aquinas Christianized the philosophy of ______

Answer 51

Aristotle

Question 52

What are three life lessons we can learn from St. Thomas Aquinas?

Answer 52

lifelong learning is important. faith and reason are not mutually exclusive. aim for the best and highest.

Question 53

What is the purpose of politics and the exercise of power according to Machiavelli?

Answer 53

The Ends justify the means in politics. Going to war for your state is okay, the Ends justify the means in politics by using tactics and strategies for war.

Question 54

Machiavelli argued that a political leader should be as beastly as a ____ and as craft as a _____. Why? (see Ebenstein, pgs. 155-156)

Answer 54

as beastly as a lion and as crafty as a fox. They need to be able to play the beastly game of politics but be crafty enough to be feared and loved by the people.

Question 55

What characteristics/ qualities/ virtues should a leader/ ruler/ prince possess according to Machiavelli?

Answer 55

The ruler be a fox as well as a lion, knowing when cunning, trickery, and deception are better suited than outright violence. Leaders should be models of upholding the highest moral standards and being merciful, faithful, humane, sincere, and religious. - Prudent, merciful and kind, adaptable and flexible, ambitious, crafty and ruthless

Question 56

According to Machiavelli, was it more important that a leader be virtuous or appear to be virtuous? Why is it so important to Machiavelli for a leader to cultivate a particular image and reputation amongst the people?

Answer 56

Appear to be virtuous, then people will be more likely to listen to you.

Question 57

What is Machiavelli's definition of virtue? Why is Machiavelli critical of the Christian virtues?

Answer 57

1. Virtue - means military valor and using prudence and pragmatism in adapting to reality 2. Machiavelli believed that Christian ethics had "made men feeble, and caused them to become an easy prey to evil-minded men"

Question 58

What was Machiavelli's view of human nature? How does that view impact his political philosophy?

Answer 58

Machiavelli believed that men are naturally ungrateful, fickle, false, cowards, covetous, and as long as you succeed they are your entirely. He uses this as his guide and assumes morality should take the backseat in the reality of politics

Question 59

Machiavelli counseled that it is better for a leader to be feared than to be loved. Why? (see pgs. 153-155 Ebenstein)

Answer 59

Because your people need to know that you are not afraid to use violence if necessary, it also makes them respect you as a leader more

Question 60

Why does Machiavelli argue that while it is good for a ruler to be feared, it is bad for a ruler to be hated? (See Ebenstein, pgs. 156-57)

Answer 60

He argues that it is bad for a ruler to be hated because it'll motivate people to try to take revenge for their own or try to take the leader out of power (for example, taking property from subjects is a sure-fire way to make them hate you.)

Question 61

According to Machiavelli, what steps should a leader take to avoid being hated by the people?

Answer 61

he should not take a lot from his people - spend money liberally but also be stingy with it. Do not change the peoples lives too much

Question 62

Machiavelli argues that the ends justify the means in politics. What does he mean by this? (see, e.g., pg. 158, Abramson)

Answer 62

If a goal is morally important enough, any method of getting it is acceptable.

Question 63

Who said, "The best fortress is to be found in the love of the people, for although you may have fortresses they will not save you if you are hated by the people"?

Answer 63

Machiavelli

Question 64

According to Machiavelli, a prince ought to make his main object of study the study of _____. Why? (see, e.g., Ebenstein pg. 151)

Answer 64

War Because he needs to be able to do whatever is necessary for the state.

Question 65

Who stated, "For among other evils caused by being disarmed, it renders you contemptible; which is one of those disgraceful things which a prince must guard against... Because there is not comparison whatever between an armed and a disarmed man, it is not reasonable to suppose that one who is armed will obey one who is unarmed, or that any unarmed man will remain safe among armed servants"?

Answer 65

Machiavelli

Question 66

Why does Machiavelli caution against rulers being too "liberal", and instead encourage them to not be afraid to be miserly when it comes to spending money? (see, e.g., Ebenstein, pgs. 152-153)

Answer 66

If you're too 'liberal' with your money, you won't have a stash/stockpile for when things get bad. You don't want to use everything up from the reservoir so when difficult times emerge you've no way to fix it/guarantee to fix it.

Question 67

Why does Machiavelli argue that "a man who wishes to make a profession of goodness in everything must necessarily come to grief among so many who are not good." And, "it is necessary for a prince, who wishes to maintain himself, to learn how not to be good, and to use this knowledge, and not use it, according to the necessity of the case."?

Answer 67

Because a person must come to the terms that there are things that are not good in the world and need to be able to work hand in hand with those and the things that are good

Question 68

Why is Machiavelli often called a pragmatist or a realist?

Answer 68

He is an EXTREME realist because he saw what was happening around him regarding the Italian renaissance- which stems into his obsession with being an effective leader rather than a good one. Ultimately, people will always be self-interested to him no matter what.

Question 69

Why is Machiavelli's thinking often characterized as amoral?

Answer 69

It usually characterized as such due to his ultimate importance placed upon effective leading rather than moral or good leading. He thinks it is a weakness/a waste of time to let morals prevent you from achieving what needs to be done.

Question 70

Why do I call Machiavelli a "political chameleon"?

Answer 70

his way of thinking is paradoxical and you can see his views change throughout his writings

Question 71

What is Machiavelli's preferred form of government? (see pg. 159-161 Abramson)? Why?

Answer 71

He preferred a republic. Page 161 "Machiavelli repeatedly stresses this deep connection between political freedom and economic prosperity, between the civic virtues a republic inspires and the work ethic that produces wealth."

Question 72

Why does Machiavelli praise Romulus and condemn Julius Caesar? (pg. 162-164, Abramson)

Answer 72

He praises Romulus because Romulus took personal sin for the benefit of the public. He did a heinous act (killing his brother) to take power and share power (like creating a Senate immediately) with the people; "he was motivated by the common good rather than the personal good" whereas Julius Caesar overturned the Roman Republic that Machiavelli praised. JC seized power for himself, not for the common good

Question 73

According to Machiavelli, rulers should respect religious practices and support the people's religions even if the rulers are not men of faith? Why?

Answer 73

Yes because they are able to use that aspect to their advantage

Question 74

How do Machiavelli's views in The Discourse differ from those set forth in The Prince? (see, e.g., pgs. 159-161, Abramson)

Answer 74

The Prince looks more like a 'how to guide' on being a tyrannical leader, whereas The Discourses is about how government should be structured- which looks to be inherently a more liberal view. He uses a lot of historical examples to show/give moral lessons in The Discourses as well (also wanted to show what worked well and what did not). It was also written before The Prince and places more trust and power in the people. Popular sovereignty and class conflict are both supported in this work as well.

Question 75

Be able to describe Hobbes' notion of the Leviathan and why such a sovereign is necessary.

Answer 75

The Leviathan is an artificial person that is made up of all the citizens of the sovereign. The sovereign is necessary because it binds these members to a social contract to escape from the state of nature.

Question 76

Be able to succinctly describe the political legacy of Thomas Hobbes.

Answer 76

The social contract which people must all enter into in order to join a civil society, it deals with the rights they give up as well as they rights they gain

Question 77

Why does Hobbes argue that security must precede liberty?

Answer 77

He says that without security we would live in constant fear. Without fear, people have the liberty to do as they desire.

Question 78

How does Hobbes materialist philosophy affect his political philosophy?

Answer 78

He believes that there were no property rights in the state of nature so everyone had the ability to take what they could get, this affects his political philosophy by showing that due to this it makes us seek out a government or sovereign

Question 79

What is Hobbe's vision of human nature?

Answer 79

that we are desiring animals and also moral animals capable of laying down desires with the freedom to choose

Question 80

What is the state of nature like according to Hobbes? (see Abramson, pgs. 182-84)

Answer 80

competitive and war like and it must be this way because it is how humans machines are rigged

Question 81

Why does Hobbes describe the state of nature as a "war of very man against every man"?

Answer 81

because war enforces a continual fear on everyone equally - only form of equality

Question 82

Why does Hobbes describe the life of man in his natural state as "solitary, poor, nasty, brutish, and short"?

Answer 82

solitary due to there being no commitments man can trust poor because there is a low standard of living nasty because reason demands we destroy or be destroyed brutish because no human can refine passions in these circumstances short because there is always the threat of violence and death

Question 83

What does Hobbes understand as the 3 basic "laws of nature" and what do these "laws of nature" boil down to? (see Abramson pgs. 185-87)

Answer 83

1st law- seek peace and pursue it 2nd law- mutual surrender in order to create new rules 3rd law- you must stick to your word they boil down to hobbes concern for a mans own concern for self preservation

Question 84

What does Hobbes mean when he says that our reason "scouts" for our desires (see Abramson pg. 181)

Answer 84

What he means by this is that "we send our reason ahead" to figure out how to best reach and realize our desires.

Question 85

Who/ What is the "Sovereign" in society according to Hobbes? (see, e.g., pgs. 186 of Abramson)

Answer 85

A person set forth to represent society and act on its behalf

Question 86

Why is Hobbes an absolutist? What does this mean? (see Abramson pgs. 190-192)

Answer 86

As long as the Sovereign is absolute, Hobbes does not care whether we invest absolute power in one person, a few persons, or many persons.

Question 87

What is the only right that reasonable persons would not contractually surrender to the government according to Hobbes (see Abramson pg. 191)?

Answer 87

The right to defend one's own life.

Question 88

Be able to provide at least 4 reasons why Thomas Hobbes is better understood as a supported of an authoritarian rather than a totalitarian government?

Answer 88

1. the people enter into this type of government willingly 2. the sovereign is not limited by divine law 3. The type of sovereign does not matter (can be a king or an assembly of rulers) 4. the sovereigns judgement is a representation of the citizens

Question 89

Which thinker argued that covenants, without the sword, are but words, and of no strength to secure a man at all?

Answer 89

Hobbes

Question 90

Which thinker calls society's sovereign "the Leviathan", whose uses his strength and power to keep the peace and promote the common defense of society?

Answer 90

Hobbes

Question 91

Which thinker calls society's sovereign "the Leviathan", whose uses his strength and power to keep the peace and promote the common defense of society?

Answer 91

Hobbes

Question 92

Which thinker rejected Aristotelian political thought, and said that the origins of political society is not natural, but merely a social contrivance to avoid that naturally competitive state of humankind?

Answer 92

Hobbes

Question 93

Which thinker argues that there is no end/purpose/ or highest good (no summon bonum) for humans embedded in our nature, and that human beings are creatures whose desires are insatiable?

Answer 93

Hobbes

Question 94

Which thinker argued that "there can be no unjust law" because the state is the standard of justice?

Answer 94

Hobbes

Question 95

Which thinker subscribed to the "emotive theory of value" which states that the terms "good" and "bad" mean nothing more than pleasure or pain, or what I like or dislike?

Answer 95

Hobbes

Question 96

Which thinker promoted the doctrine of the absolute state (providing a profound defense of royal power based upon secular principles)?

Answer 96

Hobbes

Question 97

Who is your favorite thinker that we have studied since Exam 1? Why?

Answer 97

My favorite thinker would have to be Machiavelli. He is one of the thinkers that stands out the most. What I find the most interesting about him is that he separates ethics and politics, which we haven't seen with any thinkers mentioned in this class yet.