Exam 3: Modern Political Theory

Thomas Hobbes advocated for which type of government?

Hobbes, Locke, and Rousseau are generally regarded as three of the most influential social contract theorists. What is a social contract theorist and how do these three theorists reflect the diversity of approaches within this area of political theory?

Machiavelli asserts that power can be exercised in all of the following ways EXCEPT for which one?

According to John Locke, living under a tyrannical government will cause, rather than prevent, violence. Why is this, and how does this differ from Thomas Hobbes's account of necessary sovereign power?

Thomas Hobbes argued that human behavior is all of the following EXCEPT what?

Which of the following groups contains only social contract theorists?

Which political theorist argued that political power should be viewed as a means to prevent chaos and warfare?

Which of the following leaders offers an example of Machiavelli's advice to use violence to enhance political power?

Machiavelli proposes that the prince, who possesses both strength and cunningness, will be able to control the people through the use of which of the following?

Which of these political situations would NOT be considered a latter-day example of Machiavelli's theories on gaining and maintaining political power?

Just as Galileo used science to prove Copernicus's theory that the sun was the center of the universe, so did Hobbes attempt to use science to prove the correctness of whose theory of power?

John Locke's Two Treatises of Government directly challenges the self-interested view of human nature and the authoritarian political theory of which theorist?

The ancient political theory of Plato and Aristotle often focused on the concept of justice to help explain politics, whereas the modern political theory of Machiavelli and Hobbes focuses on which of the following?

Explain how John Locke's theories associated with natural rights and the social contract influenced Thomas Jefferson when he wrote the American Declaration of Independence.

John Locke believed in the concept of tabula rasa , which means what?

Why does Machiavelli believe that leaders should take on the traits of the fox and the lion? How do these traits offer insights into how Machiavelli believes leaders should behave to ensure that they are respected and not hated by the populace?

Why did Machiavelli advise that leaders should create a state religion?

For Hobbes, it is the concept of "appetite" that shapes human behavior, whereas Locke relies on the concept of "reason" as a foundation of his political theory. How do these two starting points shape each theorist's social contract theory?

How do Hobbes and Locke differ with respect to human nature, the precontract state, and their theory on the social contract?

Which political theorist authored The Two Treatises of Government and had a major influence on Thomas Jefferson when he wrote the Declaration of Independence?