Exam 9: Justice and the Good Society

In the American Declaration of Independence, the phrase "all men are created equal" implies that everyone has the same talents and abilities at birth.

The notion that humans formed societies and laws to protect themselves from being harmed by one another was argued for by ​

What are the four concerns of justice?

How does social-contract theory view our relations with others in society and with the state?

Suppose that you are a liberal architect of social reform. You and a number of fellow reform architects have basically agreed that a new social contract is needed. It has two baseline principles of justice, which happen to be identical with John Rawls's two "principles of justice" in Chapter 9. Now you must decide how to reform existing social and political institutions in light of these two principles. Create a fictional dialogue between you and one other reform architect in which you argue about particular reforms, based on these principles. Reforms can deal with the way wealth is distributed through taxation (and other means), the provision of health care and medical insurance, welfare and other forms of governmental assistance, and affirmative action (you may have other reforms you want to add-but don't add too many). Try to keep it real (that is, reforms should be possible to implement). You're looking at distributive justice, so issues of equality are of paramount importance. You could also stage this dialogue as an oral presentation in your class or make a video on it.

Questions about whether everyone should have health insurance are questions of ​

Why isn't legitimate political power accurately expressed in the formula "might makes right"?

The concept of the "invisible hand" was first expressed by ​

16. If you believe in the idea of a social contract, then you probably accept that the people who are governed are the ultimate source of the legitimacy and authority of the government.

The concept of the free market is of a set of economic arrangements

Martin Luther King's commitment to civil disobedience was especially influenced by

While virtually everyone agrees that there is a human right not to be tortured, there is less agreement about, for example, whether people have a human right to free health care.

The concept of equality of respect is the presumption that ​

Contrast the conception of a person as a social function with the conception of a person as an individual, free to define himself or herself.

One aspect of the authority of government is its ability to coerce its citizens to comply with the law so as to prevent them harming one another, and to make them secure from various harms (physical economic, etc.).   Indeed, even libertarians recognize that governments can justifiably limit the freedom of some of their citizens ("criminals")to protect others, as well as punish individuals who break the law (retributive justice). But what are the limits of the government's coercive powers in preventing and punishing crimes? Look at two scenarios focused on preventing crimes.   (Feel free to add or substitute your own scenarios but limit yourself to three.)Suppose the government has access to data mining and other surveillance technologies, which it uses to eavesdrop on all of its citizens in order to prevent terrorist attacks. More dramatically, suppose, as in the movie Minority Report , that the government has the technology to anticipate when crimes are going to be permitted before they are committed. Should the government use these technologies?   In general, what are the limits of the government's powers in making us more secure? What other values and rights must societies balance against security in limiting the government's powers?

As best we know, human beings at one time lived exclusively as solitary individuals.

Feminist philosophers argue that the distinction between nature and culture has often been used as a means by which women are deprived of power.

When a politician is accused of endorsing a "Hobbesian view of the world," this means that politician believes that a strong central authority is needed to ensure security and peace.

When philosophers think about society, they ​

The right not to be tortured is an example of a ​