UTK IAC 101 Midterm

Perfectibility

One should work to reform political institutions, culture, and education, so that in the future there will be complete harmony between what is politically possible and what is morally right.

Purity of Principles

Because it is not possible to be successful politically while being entirely faithful to ones moral principles, one should stay out of politics.

Dirty Hands

One has the obligation to do some morally undesirable things for the sake if the greater good of the community.

Prudence

One has the obligation to figure out how to balance what is politically possible with what is morally desirable is political life.

In Plato’s Apology, what did the Oracle at Delphi say about Socrates?

No many is wiser than Socrates.

In Plato’s Crito, which of the following is NOT one of the arguments Crito makes to convince Socrates to escape his punishment?

If Socrates chooses not to escape, the leaders of the Athenian government will conclude that they can act unjustly without consequences.

In Plato’s Crito, which of the following is closest to what Socrates says about his children (through the voice of the laws)?

His children will not clearly be better off if he lives away from them in exile or if he takes them with him.

In Plato’s Crito, Socrates argues that it is justifiable to disobey unjust laws, but one must never disobey even unjust legal sentences.

FALSE

In Plato’s Crito, which of the following is the closest to what Socrates has to say about the opinion of the “many”?

Because the many are not the wise, Crito should not care much about the opinion of the many.

In Plato’s Crito, Socrates argues that people should never:

Intentionally do wrong

In one sentence below, describe one of the arguments- that was discussed in class- that Crito makes to try to convince Socrates to escape his punishment.

Crito tells Socrates to escape for the benefit of his children; It is his responsibility to take care of them and raise them.

According to Aristotle, the virtue of a good citizen is not always exactly the same as the virtue of a good man.

TRUE

According to Aristotle, which of the following is a true, or correct, form of government- which means that the government rules for the sake of the common good of the community?

Aristocracy

According to Aristotle, the rule of a master over slaves, household management, and political rule differ only in the number of people ruled. Otherwise, they are the same kind of rule.

FALSE

What are the five adjectives that Hobbes uses to describe what “the life of a man” is like in the state of nature in a famous passage from Leviathan?

Solitary, Poor, Nasty, Brutish, and Short

In one sentence, explain what the state of nature is- not whether it’s good or bad, or what it’s like to live in it- but what it means to be in a state of nature with other people.

The state of nature is when people don’t have a common power/ government to keep them “in awe.”

According to Hobbes, the three sources of conflict in the state of nature are competition, diffidence, and _______

Glory

According to Locke, which of the following is NOT descriptive of the state of nature (or the “state all men are naturally in”)?

It is a state of license

According to Locke, in the state of nature, which of the following most accurately captures who has the right to execute, or enforce, the law of nature?

Everyone

Like Hobbes, Locke believes that the state of nature is always the same as the state of war.

FALSE

As we discussed in class about Locke, if you have a negative right to life, everyone else has:

The duty/obligation to not kill you

List the 3 key things, according to Locke, that are missing from the state of nature, which make the state of nature an undesirable and insecure situation.

An established law

Impartial judges

A reliable way to have the law enforced/executed

Which of the following most precisely captures what Locke means by your “property”?

Your life, your liberty, and your land/goods/money

According to the Declaration of Independence, what is the purpose for which governments are created?

To secure rights

In the Declaration, the signers pledge to each other “our Lives, our Fortunes” and what?

“Our sacred Honor”

What law(s) does the Declaration cite as justification for the United States becoming separate and independent from England?

The Laws of Nature and of Nature’s God

Based on our discussion in class, how many of the goals in the Constitution’s Preamble have a reasonable connection to the Declaration of Independence’s claim that the purpose of government is to secure natural rights?

Many of the Preamble’s goals

Originally, state legislatures chose U.S. Senators, but the American people now vote for senators directly in statewide elections.

TRUE

Write how long a single term is for each of the federal offices listed below:

U.S. Representative: 2 Years

U.S. Senator: 6 Years

U.S. President: 4 Years

The U.S. Constitution contains four amendments regarding the right to vote. Three of the answer choices below accurately paraphrase the meaning of those amendments. One distorts or misinterprets the meaning of an amendment. Which one does NOT accurately summarize a provision in the Constitution?

American Citizens are not allowed to vote anywhere in the United States until they are 18 years old.

Which of the following phrases does NOT appear in the Bill of Rights?

“separation of church and state”

In Federalist No. 10, James Madison defines a “faction” to be a special-interest minority group that seeks to serve interests that go against the will and interests of the majority.

FALSE

Based on last class, which of the following is true about the Bill of Rights?

It was passed by the First Congress under the Constitution and ratified in 1791.

The U.S. Constitution contains 4 amendments that have to do with the right to vote. List the basic meaning of each amendment below (you are not required to include amendment numbers)

You shall not be denied the right to vote based on skin color/race/previous servitude

You shall not be denied the right to vote based on gender

You shall not be denied the right to vote by reason of failure to pay poll tax

You shall not be denied the right to vote based on age, if you are at least 18 years old

As discussed in class, the various legal/judicial rights in the Bill of Rights suggest that Americans care a lot about:

Protecting the individual liberty of Americans

The Tennessee Constitution explains that, because there is no need for repetition/redundancy between the U.S. Constitution and the TN Constitution, the TN Constitution does not contain any of the rights protections that are included in the U.S. Constitution’s Bill of Rights.

FALSE

How long are the term lengths for the following offices under the TN Constitution?

State Representative: 2 Years

State Senator: 4 Years

Governor: 4 Years

The TN Constitution includes a list of public officials that each county in the state of Tennessee is required to have (with a few exceptions).

TRUE