PLSC Test 3 Vocab

Utilitarianism

An ethical theory that determines right from wrong by focusing on outcomes, advocating for the greatest happiness principle.

Liberalism

A political philosophy that emphasizes individual rights, democracy, and the protection of civil liberties.

Suffrage

The right to vote in political elections.

Higher pleasures

Intellectual, moral, and artistic pursuits, such as education, philosophy, and meaningful work.

Lower pleasures

Physical pleasures, including food, entertainment, and comfort.

The Harm Principle

The only purpose for which power can be rightfully exercised over any member of a civilized community, against his will, is to prevent harm to others.

Tyranny of the Majority

The pressure to conform to societal norms which can be more stifling to individuality and dissent than any law.

On Liberty

An essay published in 1859 by John Stuart Mill.

Self-Regarding Action

this only harms yourself or, if it also harms others (rational adults), it does so with their free, voluntary, and undeceived consent and participation.

Other-Regarding Actions

those that harm others who are not rational, free, consenting adults.

Liberty

The nature and limits of the power that can be legitimately exercised by society over the individual, emphasizing individual freedom.

Moral Policing

When a majority seeks to prohibit individuals from practicing and expressing ideas that they believe to be incorrect.

Socialism

An economic and political arrangement where the government owns the means of production to eliminate exploitation.

Proletariat

The class of wage workers in industrial production whose income derives from selling their labor power.

Capitalism

An economic system characterized by private ownership of capital goods and market-determined pricing and distribution.

Bourgeoisie

The capitalist or ruling class that owns the means of production and exploits the working-class proletariat.

Alienation

A phenomenon where workers are disconnected from the means of production, with capital dominating labor.

Class struggle

shapes societies and drives historical change, as it reflects the ongoing conflict between different social classes that drives historical change.

Materialistic Conception of History

All institutions of human society are the outgrowth of its economic activity. It focuses on the material conditions of life, such as the economy, production, and the peoples relationships with work

Communism

An egalitarian, classless society based on communal sharing, eliminating private property.

Revolution

A mechanism through which one mode of production is replaced by a more advanced one.

Labor

The means of creating wealth.

Class

A group with intrinsic tendencies and interests that differ from those of other societal groups.

Inequality

stems from the capitalist system, where the means of production are owned by a few, exploiting the labor of the many, leading to class conflict