POL250 Exam3
Thomas Aquinas lived in the
1200s AD
Like Aristotle, Thomas doesn't think human law should command all acts of virtue, but only those that promote the common good. Which of the following would be an example of virtue that the government could legitimately promote through law?
A government bureaucrat has the courage to report that her boss is stealing public money
Thomas believes that the human law should not try to forbid all evil, because in aiming to so so, it might result in greater evil. Which of the following is an example of this principle?
A government wants to keep men from lusting over women, so it passes a law that women cannot leave their homes unless covered in a robe from head to toe.
Which of the following is a civil law (as opposed to a law of nations)?
A law requiring that property taxes be used to fund public schools.
Which of the following is an example of corruption by reason of evil persuasion (evil ideology)?
A person uses indiscriminate violence to kill innocent people because of his fervent belief in a system of political thought
The "Thomistic synthesis" refers to Thomas Aquinas's efforts to synthesize
Christianity with the philosophy of Aristotle.
Which of the following statements about the divine law is false?
Civil governments can legislate in the area of divine law.
Which of the following best describes the relationship between the civil government and the divine law?
Civil governments cannot pass laws that interfere with the ability of believers to follow divine law.
The new Western civilization that emerged during the Middle Ages was a mixture of three great cultural influences. These three cultural pillars were
Classical Greece, Classical Rome, and Christianity.
All of the following are key principles of Marxism, except which?
Communist revolutions are most likely to occur in agricultural societies
What issues was the English Civil War fought over?
Divine Right of Kings vs. parliamentary sovereignty, official religion, and religious toleration.
Which of the following is an example of corruption by reason of disposition of nature?
Due to biological or developmental factors, an individual struggles more than most people with a particular vice; consequently, the person argues that he or she is not responsible for indulging that behavior.
In the state of nature, Locke believes that all human beings are free, because
God did not create some humans superior to others in essence, therefore, God must intend humans to serve only His purposes, not the purposes of other humans.
Which of the following is a political implication of natural law theory?
Government is limited, because human law must be in accord with the natural law.
Thomas argues that the human law helps to make people good in at least three ways. Which of the following is not one of those ways?
Human law can force us to have the right feelings and desires.
Locke argues that there are three ways future generations born after the original social contract can still consent to it. Which of the following is not one of the ways?
In a country, every new generation can get together and develop and consent to a new social contract.
Why does Thomas believe that human law is limited?
It is only competent to judge external human actions, not our thoughts and feelings.
All of the following principles are part of Thomas Aquinas's theory of natural law, except which?
It is the job of the human law to punish all violations of the natural law.
Which of the following is an argument offered against utilitarianism?
It would argue that an evil act is moral, so long as it brings about the greatest pleasure for the greatest number.
What is the term for a political ideology that views capitalism as inherently exploitative of the working class and calls for workers to overthrow it by violent revolution in order to bring about a communist society?
Marxism
According to Thomas, which category of law cannot be changed by human beings?
Natural Law
Locke gives three reasons why the executive and federative functions of government should be combined. Which of the following is not one of the arguments?
Officials in the executive branch are more likely to speak the foreign languages necessary to conduct diplomacy.
What is the name of the body of human law that is directly deduced from the natural law, so that it ought to be included in the legal codes of all political communities?
The Law of Nations
Which of following documents is historically important, because it began a tradition in England of subjects placing limits on the power of the monarch?
The Magna Carta
Which of the following are ideas that Lenin contributed to Marxist thought?
The importance of the vanguard party and its operation by democratic centralism.
Locke gives three arguments why the legislative and executive powers should be kept separate. Which of the following is not one of those arguments?
The legislative and executive branches will be controlled by different political parties, so to keep them from fighting you need to keep them separate.
Locke specifies four limits on the power of the legislature. Which of the following is not one of the limits?
The legislature does not have the authority to declare war.
Which of the following ideas is not part of the doctrine of The Divine Right of Kings?
The legislature is equal in power to the monarch.
Which of the following best describes the moral theory of Evolutionary Psychology?
The moral law is a type of instinct that developed in human beings in order to promote the survival of the species.
Which of the following is a point of disagreement between Liberals and Conservatives?
The size and scope of the welfare state.
Which of the following statements about Locke's social contract theory is false?
The social contract is the same thing as a constitution.
Which of the following best describes the Relativist Argument?
There is no objective morality; all morals are a matter of subjective preference
Which of the following would be the least reliable method for humans to use to determine the natural law?
Watching how non-human animals behave.
Thomas gives several arguments why it was necessary for God to give human beings the divine law in addition to the natural law. Which of the following is not one of the reasons?
Without the divine law, humans could not figure out the precepts of the natural law.
Human law should not try to forbid all evil deeds because
a. in aiming to stamp out all evils, it would do away with many good things. b. the process of trying to stamp out an evil might result in greater evils. c. Some evils do not result in significant public harm, so they don't relate to the common good. (D) All of the above.
Why does Thomas Aquinas believe that not all of our inclinations are "natural" inclinations?
a.Some of our inclinations are not good for us, and in order for an inclination to be natural, it must be in accord with what is good for us. b. Some inclinations that are natural for humans are not pleasant at first, so a desire must be fostered by repeated practice. c. Sin distorts our inclinations, so we are often inclined toward things that are not natural (good) for us. (D) All of the above.
Inefficiencies that large government bureaucries are more prone to than private firms is known as
bureaupathologies
A communist would support all of the following, except which?
capitalism
What is the term for an economic system that relies on private enterprise and the free market?
capitalism
What is the term for an economy where the government takes over all aspects of economic decision making?
centrally-planned economy
A classical liberal would support of all of the following, except which?
divine right of kings
When a human law is unjust because it undermines our earthly (temporal) good, Thomas says it is permissible to disobey it as long as we
don't cause a scandal or disturbance.
Thomas believes that it is impossible for humans to know the ______ law in its entirety?
eternal
If I voluntarily cut my neighbor's lawn every weekend, his yard does not become my personal property because
his yard is already private property.
One objection to natural law theory holds that there can't be a natural law that is know by everyone and applicable to everyone, because if there were, people wouldn't commonly violate it. In lecture, it was argued that this criticism is not logically coherent because
it doesn't not follow that if one disobeys a moral rule that the rule doesn't exist.
What is the term for a regime that holds free and fair elections and protects a broad range of political rights and civil liberties?
liberal democracy
What is the term for an economic model that combines private enterprise and a free market, with a welfare state and state ownership and control of certain sectors of the economy?
mixed economy
Locke believes that the poor are better off under a
monetary economy
All of the following are examples of market failures, except which?
moral hazard
What is the study of how people pursue collective economic goals and deal with conflicts over resources and other economic factors in an authoritative way by means of government?
political economy
What is the name for the idea that government originates as an explicit or implicit agreement among individuals who agree to obey the laws in exchange for the protection of their natural rights?
social contact theory
Thomas advanced the idea of separation of church and state because he believed that
the church and state have different spheres of authority.
In Locke's theory, the state of nature refers to
the condition of freedom and equality that all humans exist in before government emerges.
Locke argues that the people are ultimately the sovereign power, because government is merely
the fiduciary of the people
Thomas Aquinas lived during the period of history known as
the middle ages
The eternal law is
the principles by which God made and governs the universe.
The divine law is
the reflection of the eternal law in God's revealed word, the Bible.
If I start chopping down the trees in a national park, those trees don't become my personal property because
those trees have been set aside as public property by common agreement
What is the term for the model of political economy where the state takes some degree of responsibility for providing for the wellbeing of citizens in areas such as education, income support, unemployment compesation, healthcare, and retirement?
welfare state
The invention of money allows one to circumvent the natural limit of labor, because
you can hire other people to work for you
