social & political philosophy final exam prep

radical liberalism (mills)

a way of exposing how liberal ideals like freedom, equality, and consent are racially distorted in practices

racial contract (mills)

a hidden agreement that structures society so that white people are treated as full-persons. non-whites are excluded from moral, political, and legal standing

the magistrate (rousseau)

government officials who carry out and enforce laws, but don’t possess sovereignty. administrators, not lawmakers

the soverign (rousseau)

the collective body of citizens who express authority through the general will. it belongs to the people, not a ruler or institution

the general will (rousseau)

the collective will aimed to the common good of society, not the preferences of the majority.

labor-mixing theory of property (locke)

individuals gain rightful ownership over natural resources by mixing their labor with them, as long as enough is left for others

the veil of ignorance (rawls)

a condition in which the individuals designing society don’t know their race, gender, class, talents or social position, ensuring unbaised decision-making

the original position (rawls)

the hypothetical situation in which people, operating behind the veil of ignorance, choose the principles that will govern society

wage slavery (pateman)

describes how consent and contracts don’t automatically equal freedom

paternal/parental power (pateman)

justifying womens subordination by treating male authority as natural and legitimate.

historical materialism (marx)

economic structures and mode of production shape social relations and political institutions

labor and exploitation (marx)

workers sell their labor to survive, producing surplus value that is appropriated by capitalists, creating exploitation.