Midterm Review

Cultural Relativism

The view that beliefs and practices are understood relative to cultural context, leading to tolerance of diverse practices.

Genocide

The deliberate and systematic extermination of a particular ethnic, national, racial, or religious group.

John Locke

Philosopher who argued for the protection of property, consent, and the establishment of government through social contracts.

State of Nature

A theoretical condition in which individuals live freely and without political authority, as discussed by political philosophers.

Consent

The agreement by individuals to form political communities and accept certain obligations to one another.

Natural Law

A moral theory that posits certain rights and values are inherent to human nature and can be understood through reason.

Leviathan

Hobbes' work arguing that human life in the state of nature is solitary, poor, nasty, brutish, and short, necessitating absolute authority.

Virtù

Machiavelli's concept referring to the qualities and skills necessary for effective leadership and political success.

Political Order

A structured and recognized authority governing a community, founded on laws and consent.

Common Good

The belief that political and legal systems should benefit all members of society.

Eternal Law

A divine or higher law believed to govern all creation, according to Aquinas.

Promulgation

The formal declaration of laws, essential for them to be recognized and adopted by the community.

Covenant

An agreement or pact, especially in a political context, which involves mutual obligations.

Hobbes' Three Laws of Nature

1. Seek peace and follow it. 2. Lay down your rights in accordance with mutual agreements. 3. Perform your covenants.

Regime

A government or political system, often in the context of the structure or organization of power.

Social Contract

The theory that individuals consent to form a society and abide by its rules and laws for the sake of social order.

Self-preservation

The instinct or action of protecting oneself from harm or danger, considered a fundamental aspect of human behavior.

Scholastic Method

A method of learning and reasoning that involves structured questioning and argumentation, prominent in medieval education.

Natural Law Theory

A theory that posits laws should align with moral principles inherent in human nature.