Intro to poli sci chapter 2 POLITICAL PHILOSOPHY

Power

the ability to get someone to do something they otherwise would not have done (Weber)

Kautilya

Indian philosopher who first suggested reversing the priority of analytic and normative thinking, arguing that virtuous leadership depended on understanding the roots of power and influence in the real world

Rousseau would most likely agree with which of these statements?

Individuals are born equal, but government tends to reinforce inequalities.

Adam Smith and Karl Marx would both accept which of these statements?

Individuals in a capitalist society mostly pursue their self-interests regardless of the consequences for others.

Suppose that most Americans want Social Security payments reduced to prevent the future collapse of the system, but such a change would have a significant economic impact on people currently receiving Social Security benefits. If such a change were put in place, this outcome could be used as an example to demonstrate which of these concepts?

tyranny of the majority

Which of these was most important to both Aristotle and Plato?

virtue

Proletariat

working class, make money by selling their labor instead of owning and investing in a business

Bourgeois

the commercial class of people who make money by owning and investing in business

Dependency theory

A Marxist-oriented theory that sees all human history in terms of dominance or poor countries by rich countries

Absolutism

A government that assigns absolute unchecked power to a single individual (HOBBES)

Republic

A government that is not governed by a hereditary ruler like a king, but instead assigns power through a broader public choice (MACHIAVELLI)

Rational choice theory

A method for sharpening rational material or institutional arguments that proceeds by imagining how perfectly rational people would act within material or institutional constraints

Classical Liberalism

A political philosophy or ideology that prioritizes individual political rights, private property, and limited government (LOCKES)

Modernization theory

A rational material theory in the liberal tradition that sees history as a march towards liberal democracy and capitalism

Plato

An Athenian philosopher and the author of The Republic who argued for a system of government led by philosopher kings

Machiavelli would most likely agree with which of these statements about leadership?

An effective leader uses fear to maintain control of the population and dissuade enemies from attacking.

Interest groups

Associations in society that form around shared interests and advocate for them in politics (ARTHUR BENTLEY)

Aristotele

Athenian philosopher who saw the study of politics as a master science that guides how society in general should proceed and argued for a government balanced between the masses and an educated elite

How do Bentley's ideas mimic Adam Smith's views on the free-market system?

Bentley thought that free competition among interest groups produced fair and representative policies.

What do liberalism and Marxism have in common?

Both explain political phenomena as a product of self-interest.

Which statement best explains how Machiavelli's views were similar to Aristotle's?

Both had a mixture of normative and analytic ideas.

Which statement accurately compares the views of Thomas Hobbes and John Locke?

Both recognized the need for governments, but Locke argued that citizens also need protection from the government.

Which of the following is a Marxist argument against capitalism?

Capitalism unfairly extracts profits from the working class to benefit the capitalist class.

Thomas Hobbes would most likely agree with which of these statements?

Even a tyrannical government is better than no government at all.

Which of these is a core assumption of rational choice theory?

Human beings are fundamentally self-interested.

Inequality

In economic terms, the unequal distribution of wealth; in political terms, the assignment of rights to some people and not others (ROUSSEAU)

Which of the following is a Marxist argument against democracy?

It deceives workers into believing that their interests are being served by the state.

Philosopher Kings

Leaders in Plato's "Republic" who deserved to lead because they pursued truth in the study of philosophy and kept on that path by having no private property or families

Social contract

The notation that limited government is based on an agreement of the governed to keep central authority

Surplus value

Marxs idea that since all value came from labor, anyone who profited from selling goods besides the workers who made them, must be paying workers less than their work was worth and taking the surplus

Capitalist

People who make money with money instead of with labor

Dependency theory makes which of these criticisms of the modernization theory?

Poor countries will experience stunted economic development rather than gradual growth and democratization.

Aristotle and Plato would differ most strongly in their answers to which of these questions?

Should government be run by certain wise leaders or more balanced between social groups?

Which statement best compares the views of Adam Smith and Karl Marx?`

Smith saw a free market as the key to prosperity, and Marx saw it as the basis of oppression.

Which of these book titles would fit most clearly within the paradigm of rational-material thinking?

The Impact of Interest Group Action on American Politics

Constructivism is based on which of these assumptions?

The dominant values and customs of a political community evolve over time

Imagine a small island using a system of government designed by Plato. Which of the following is most likely to be true about this island?

The leaders live in small huts built and owned by the rest of the population.

Confucius

a Chinese philosopher who offered rules for virtuous behavior by both subjects and emperors , but also suggested that people could challenge tyrannical leadership

Aristotle would most likely have labeled which of these as "perverted"?

a democratic government that radically redistributes property from the rich to the poor

Invisible hand

a free market notion that competition to make money will channel everyone towards their most productive individual strengths , sorting people and resources to their best use without any government leadership (ADAM SMITH)

Aristocrats

a group of people, usually hereditary, with special legal status that gives them privileges not extended to others

Suppose that Country Z is developing its economy rapidly and expanding its international trade. Modernization theory would predict which of these outcomes for Country Z?

a strengthening of support for democracy

John Locke would most likely have approved of a constitution with which of these features?

a system of checks and balances and a bill of rights protecting individual liberty

Constructivism

a version of ideational explanation that suggest that the internal arena is shaped primarily by what people believe about international politics

Which of these would most closely correspond to Machiavelli's ideal?

an iron-fisted ruler unafraid to confront any challenges to his power, including those from internal enemies

Civil society

arenas of action in a country outside of direct government influence such as allocations, business affairs, churches, media, and artistic expression (Tocqueville)

John Locke

basic human society in a state of nature would not be as terrifying and chaotic as Hobbes suggested. Rather than a "war of all against all," he theorized, people in a state of nature might live fairly well, but they would compete with each other for resources, and would have some problems with crime.

Unlike Marxism, modernization theory suggests that ________.

democracy is the natural outcome of political evolution

A critic of the "invisible hand" argument would most likely support which of these?

government regulation of the economy

Suppose a country's ruler imposed a heavy tax on the labor of peasants in order to raise money to build himself a lavish palace. Confucius would most likely say that ________.

his subjects would have the right to rise up and overthrow the ruler

Social facts

human created conditions of action that only exist because people believe in them

Unintended consequences

in institutional thinking, this notion refers to how institutions created for one purpose may channel later politics in unforeseen ways

Suppose a government was based on the ideas of Confucius. Which of these labels would Aristotle most likely apply to that government?

kingship

According to Kautilya, a ruler's primary duty is to _________.

maintain control over the population and ensure order

According to Thomas Hobbes, individuals agree to the social contract because they can see that it __________.

makes their lives safer and more secure

Which of the following is an example of "groupthink" that might occur in a university setting?

members of a fraternity all accepting that athletics are more important than academics

For both Locke and Rousseau, the desire to do which of the following is central to the formation of the state?

protect property rights

Which of these policies would Aristotle most likely accept?

requiring a high-school diploma to exercise the right to vote

Which of these most closely fits Aristotle's definition of aristocracy?

rule by a virtuous few that reflects the interests of all

Hobbes and Locke would most strongly disagree about the need for which of these features of the American Constitutional system?

the Bill of Rights

Which political concept assumes that social benefits arise from the pursuit of individual self-interest?

the invisible hand

Authority

the legitimate right to exercise power (Weber)

tyranny of the majority

the possibility that a democratic majority could choose to harm minorities or political opponents (Tocqueville)

realism

the theory that international relations is always dominated by an anarchical conflict between states