Lecture Notes on Liberalism, Social Contract, and Utilitarianism

A set of fill-in-the-blank flashcards covering key ideas from liberalism, social contract theory (Hobbes, Locke, Rousseau), Utilitarianism (Bentham, Mill), and related historical debates.

By the 1830s, nonproperty white males could vote, but __ were not allowed to vote.

women and enslaved people

Post-Civil War immigrants entering the United States generally lacked voting rights because they were contesting for __.

citizenship

The umbrella for liberalism includes three foundations: the moral core, the economic component, and the __ core.

political

Locke argued that government is obligated to protect the natural rights of life, liberty, and __.

property

For Locke, government should be a __ that serves the people, with limited authority.

limited authority

In Hobbes' Leviathan, the 'state of nature' is untenable due to human __, leading to the establishment of an absolute monarchy.

selfishness

Hobbes described the social contract as a mutual transfer of rights to the __ (sovereign) in exchange for security.

monarch

Charles Beard's Economic Interpretation of the Constitution argued the Constitution protected the interests of the __ class.

property-owning

Rousseau argued the social contract should be bound by radical __ equality and the consent of the governed.

democratic

Bentham defined morality as actions that maximize __ and minimize pain.

utility

John Stuart Mill argued that to have a truly democratic process, we must develop __ self-interest.

enlightened

Education, particularly __ education, is the key to developing enlightened self-interest.

civic

In most societies, the real minority is the __ class, i.e., the wealthy.

property-owning

Locke's natural rights include life, liberty, and __.

property

In the Declaration of Independence, the natural rights include life, liberty, and the pursuit of __.

happiness