Political Theory Lecture Review

This set of flashcards covers key concepts from lectures on the Problem of Change, Utopias, Classical Liberalism, and the Problem of Human Nature, including social contract theories from Hobbes, Locke, and Rousseau.

Thomas Paine's Critique of Conservatism

Argued conservatism prioritizes ".the authority of the dead over the rights and freedoms of the living."

Despotism of Custom

A critique by J.S. Mill suggesting an ".uncritical, unreasoned, and unquestioning acceptance of the status quo." fostered by conservatism.

Reclaiming the Past

A more radical approach to tradition than classical conservatism, focused on reacting to undesirable change by returning to a 'golden age' of the past, believing progress has led to decay.

Golden Age

A mythical past era described by those who believe progress and change have made things worse, advocating for a return to this idealized time.

Change for Purpose of Conserving

A more moderate approach suggesting societies must adapt and make moderate, incremental reforms to survive and avoid revolution, rather than constantly opposing change.

Enlightened Traditionalism

The idea that constantly opposing change is self-defeating and will lead to revolution, recognizing some changes are inevitable and societies must adapt to conserve.

Utopias

Imagined, hypothetical, fictional worlds that refer to ideal societies, often considered impossible or unrealistic, aiming for unachievably high goals.

Enlightenment Era and Utopias

A period when belief in rationality, humanity, progress, development, and perfectibility became increasingly common, leading to a rise in utopian thought.

Utopias as Political Theories

Concepts of an ideal world, free of imperfections and unbound by human or societal constraints, focusing on what 'should be.'

Critiques of Utopian Theory

Arguments that such theories are unrealistic, based on a flawed assumption of human perfectibility, and can lead to violence, intolerance, and repression by demanding conformity to one vision.

Socialism

A political and economic theory that seeks to rectify societal problems and attain an ideal society, believing it is attainable, viewing humans as sociable and cooperative, and criticizing individualism, liberalism, and private property as roots of inequality.

Classical Liberalism

An ideology from the 1600s-1800s that criticized absolutism and feudalism, later incorporating free market capitalism, predicated on individual freedom and less government intervention.

Individualism (Classical Liberalism)

A core commitment expressed in terms of natural rights or utilitarianism, emphasizing the individual's freedom and self-interest.

Negative Understanding of Freedom

In classical liberalism, freedom is defined as the absence of government intervention, being left alone, and the absence of commitment or duty to others.

Role of the State (Classical Liberalism)

The state is viewed as a necessary evil, with its primary purpose being to maintain order and peace in society.

Free Market Capitalism (Classical Liberalism)

A system valued by classical liberalism, advocating for open markets, free trade, minimal government intervention or regulation of the economy, and the right to private property.

Problem of Human Nature

A core philosophical discussion about the essential and immutable character of all human beings, debated due to a lack of agreed-upon authority, impacting views on justice, freedom, and power.

Human Nature

The essential and immutable character of all human beings, highlighting what is innate and 'natural' as opposed to what is gained from education or social experience.

Nature vs. Nurture

A key contrast in understanding human nature, debating whether human characteristics are primarily innate (nature) or shaped by experience and environment (nurture).

Social Contract

The concept that society and government are created through an agreement where people consent to be governed for order, protection, and the common good.

Consent of the Governed

The idea that the legitimacy and moral right of a government to use state power is only justified when consented to by the people or society over which that political power is exercised.

State of Nature

A hypothetical condition of humanity without government, used by political thinkers to explore the necessity and form of political organization.

Thomas Hobbes

An English philosopher (1588-1679) whose work 'Leviathan' argued that human life in the state of nature is 'solitary, poor, nasty, brutish, and short' due to constant conflict.

Leviathan (Hobbes)

Hobbes's seminal work (1651) that describes human nature and advocates for a strong, absolute sovereign (the 'leviathan') to prevent a state of war.

Hobbes's State of Nature

A condition where people are constantly in conflict over limited resources, living in continual fear of violent death, leading to a life that is 'solitary, poor, nasty, brutish, and short.'

Absolute Power (Hobbes)

Hobbes's preference for a strong monarch or sovereign with absolute authority, posessing a monopoly on legitimate force to maintain order and peace.

John Locke

An English philosopher (1632-1704) who famously wrote 'Second Treatise' and argued that government's purpose is to protect individuals' natural rights including 'life, liberty, and property.'

Locke's Social Contract

A written agreement where people give up certain rights to government, but both citizens and government are bound by the contract, protecting natural rights and allowing rebellion if the government violates them.

Natural Rights (Locke)

Inherent rights possessed by individuals from birth, including 'life, liberty, and property,' which government cannot violate.

Right to Rebel (Locke)

The right of citizens to overthrow a government if it violates their natural rights, as specified in Locke's social contract theory.

Jean-Jacques Rousseau

A Swiss/French theorist (1712-1778) who argued that the state of nature is peaceful and innocent, with societal problems introduced by social institutions, and advocated for promoting the 'general will' through direct democracy.

Rousseau's State of Nature

A pre-political and pre-social condition described as peaceful, innocent, and uncorrupt, where inequalities are not naturally caused.

General Will (Rousseau)

The collective desire or interest of the community as a whole, which the purpose of the social contract is to promote, prioritizing the common good over individual desires.

Direct Democracy (Rousseau)

A form of governance where the people are sovereign and directly participate in political decision-making, as individuals cannot give up their sovereignty to representatives.

Nature (Human Nature Interpretation)

The view that human nature is shaped by biological factors and is unchangeable, rooted in natural sciences like Social Darwinism and 'Survival of the Fittest,' often associated with Hobbes and Locke.

Social Darwinism

A theory suggesting that individuals and groups are subject to the same Darwinian laws of natural selection as plants and animals, often used to justify social, political, or economic hierarchies.

Nurture (Human Nature Interpretation)

The view that humanity is not fixed but is flexible, with individuals as social creatures who learn and adapt based on interactions, emphasizing social environments in conditioning behavior and advocating for government intervention to level the playing field, associated with Rousseau and Marx.

Plasticity of Human Nature

The concept, central to the 'Nurture' interpretation, that human nature is flexible and can be shaped or altered by social environments and experiences rather than being fixed or innate.