Readings Flashcards
(23 cards)
power corrupts and absolute power…
corrupts absolutely
human predicament cycle
tyranny ➡️ revolution ➡️ anarchy ➡️ competing factors ➡️
Plato’s “Republic”
virtue is the backbone of republican morality
Plato on human nature:
the wisest should rule
4 approaches to government:
autocracy, classical republicanism, libertarianism, liberalism
example of autocracy:
monarchy and dictatorship
classical republicanism
people are not corrupt, but corruptible, and can be taught correct moral values
liberalism
government protects people from corrupt institutions
libertarianism
human nature is variable, but individual freedom should be the goal of government
autocracy
people are like children and need direction from the government
Rousseau on human nature:
human beings are born entirely virtuous
what’s in a “founders toolbox”?
structure, participation, law, custom & tradition, moral sense, founding myths, leadership
3 basic religious beliefs in early America
God’s elect, the Christian calling, moral self-governance
which group’s ideas are still found in American culture today?
Puritans
new vs old ideas of freedom
old: freedom IN society; new: freedom FROM society
Second Treatise of Government
- in a state of nature there is no government (no divine right of kings) 2. people can join together to create a social compact 3. government’s only job is to protect people’s natural rights 4. government exists by consent of the governed 5. if government violates the social compact, the people have the right and duty to revolt
5 rules of law
generality, prospectively, publicity, consent, due process
Plato’s 4 cardinal virtues
wisdom, courage, temperance, justice
problem of social epistemology
who should decide who’s right? and who should decide who gets to decide?
constitution of knowledge
a system of rules for identifying truth
mercantilism rested on what assumption?
government should regulate the economy to strengthen national power
inalienable rights
life, liberty, the pursuit of happiness
what is a founding?
a conscious, deliberate act of creating a system of government that benefits the people
