philo 243 exam 1 elizabeth anderson - private government
what can be done to mitigate the authority the employer holds over the employees?
1. exit 2. rule of law 3. substantive constitutional rights 4. voice
what are the three kinds of freedom?
1. negative 2. positive 3. republican
what is the rule of law?
a) authority may be exercised only through laws duly passed and publicized in advance, rather than arbitrary orders issued without any process b) subjects are at liberty to do anything not specifically prohibited by law c) laws are generally applicable to everyone in similar circumstances d) subjects have rights of due process before suffering any sanctions for noncompliance
how do some employees lack the power of exit?
being a part of industries with non-compete contracts, or special skills that do not easily transfer to another place of work
what is anderson's thesis?
businesses constitute "private" governments that deprive employees of significant amounts of freedom
why do workplaces function as "private governments," according to anderson?
businesses/employers are taking away the freedom of employees/citizens and the state when they increase their size of the pie
what is republican freedom?
freedom from being in a subordinate position to someone wielding lots of power over you
what is positive freedom?
freedom that comes from having certain goods or opportunities
what is negative freedom?
freedom to not be interfered with
what is the standard view?
giving up our freedom for a system that allows the gov to further meddle in our private lives is not the answer...every single thing gov does to increase its own power increases the size of its liberty pie...since there are only two slices, every time the gov slice of liberty pie grows then the citizens slice is reduced
does anderson think that allowing easier entry and exit would fix the central problem with coverture?
no - innate power imbalances still give the husband a huge advantage
how does anderson differentiate the "private" form "public" realm?
private: the realm of things which are not the business of the general populace public: the realm of things which are the business of the general populace (the state)
what are the laws of coverture?
the legal fiction that a husband and wife are one person
how does anderson define government? how does this differ from how it is usually defined?
there can be private governments (businesses)
what is meant by constitutional rights?
workers need something like a bill of rights to protect their most basic liberties and needs...but this sort of document can only prescribe uniformity in treatment of employees, and will be grossly under enforced for the least advantaged workers
what are two examples of worker-voice systems?
workplace democracy (employee owned companies, like HyVee) and labor unions ... but this can only help to a minimal degree; different interests, skills, and bargain able value serve to make employee negotiations tedious and often disadvantageous for those on the bottom rung