Basic Political Goods

Vocabulary flashcards covering core political theory concepts, basic political goods, freedom, development, well-being, and philosophical views from Hobbes, Locke, Aristotle, Mill, and Nussbaum.

Political theory

The study of the fundamental principles and institutions of politics.

Plato’s Allegory of the Cave

An allegory highlighting the difference between opinion and knowledge, demonstrating that seeking knowledge is difficult while sticking with societal opinions is easy.

Intrinsic good

Something that is of value in and of itself, such as happiness, knowledge, and pleasure.

Instrumental good

Something that is of value because it leads to something else that is good, such as health, material possessions, and fashion.

State of nature

The human condition without politics. Thomas Hobbes viewed it as a brutal "war of all against all," whereas John Locke viewed it as a state of peace.

Security

The protection of the life of citizens against threats from nature, other individuals in society, or other states.

Negative freedom

The freedom to pursue aims without being hindered by others, defined as the absence of external obstacles, barriers, or constraints from other people ("freedom from").

Positive freedom

The capacity to pursue aims through personal or social resources, such as access to public education and healthcare.

False consciousness

A condition identified by Karl Marx where individual consciousness is hijacked by the false values of an unjust society, causing people to adopt societal beliefs rather than what they truly believe.

Social contract

An agreement whereby people escape a violent state of nature by surrendering their power to a strong ruler in exchange for safety and order.

Development

The increase of the knowledge and power of human beings.

Reason and knowledge

The development of human capacity to grasp truth and the expansion of the truths understood about the world through education.

Technology

The use of knowledge to create tools to increase human power.

Growth and power

The development of human capacity to shape and transform the world through technological and economic growth.

Virtues

The performance of excellent deeds according to a communal standard of behavior.

Excellence

The tendency to perform deeds that benefit the community in order to bring recognition to the community.

Vices

Actions contrary to communal standards of behavior, especially marked by lying and cheating.

Well-being

The state where a person can look back on their life and want to do it again, feeling fulfilled by experiencing a wide range of goods.

Hedonistic life

An ancient conception of life devoted to maximizing pleasure and minimizing pain.

Practical life

An ancient conception of life devoted to virtue and excellence.

Contemplative life

A way of living devoted to wisdom and the search for truth, which Aristotle regarded as fully realizing human rational capacities.

Pious life

A religious conception of life centered around strong faith in a divine being alongside worship and obedience.

Self-realization

A modern conception of life devoted to the creative expression of one's unique way of living, treating each person as an individual.

Human function argument (Aristotle)

Aristotle's theory proposing that all things have a function determining success or failure; human well-being requires fulfilling and properly ordering our distinctive rational capacities.

Revised human function argument (J.S. Mill)

J.S. Mill's individualistic revision asserting that humans possess multiple distinctive capacities with no single natural ordering, granting individuals freedom for self-realization.

Capacities approach (Martha Nussbaum)

A framework arguing that international human rights metrics should evaluate human flourishing and basic capacities rather than GDP alone.