Exam 9: Justice and the Good Society

Because of their strong commitment to "negative rights," libertarians are likely to think of individuals primarily as negatively free.

Assuming you live in a country with taxes,how would a social contract theorist understand your obligation to pay your fair share of taxes?

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

What makes for a good society? Your essay should address the following questions: What sorts of government (or rulership)are possible? Of these,which are preferable,and why? In light of the fact that all societies have individuals who have different talents and abilities,and will eventually develop disparities in social position,wealth,etc,how should a good society justly manage inequality? More broadly,what sorts of rights should the good society promote and protect?

What is Rawls' second "principle of justice"?

Because aggressive measures to reform things often end up making things worse,the Tao Te Ching recommends that rulers

If feminists are correct,then Beauvoir's statement "One is not born a woman" is true.

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

In social philosophy people are conceived as either unequal,where some are "better" than others by virtue of their birth,abilities or accomplishments,or as

Punishing someone too harshly would be a failure of distributive justice.

Contrast the differences between Martin Luther King and Malcolm X's visions of the means to achieving racial justice.

According to feminist philosophers,the category of "gender," unlike the category of "sex,"

Few philosophers who theorize about the nature of society are able to get completely past the presuppositions which their own societies impose on them.

A system of government in which the ruler is a religious figure or is backed by a religion is a

Questions about whether everyone should have health insurance are questions of

Contrast the meanings of the categories of "sex" and "gender."Give examples.

Libertarians often defend the notion that an unfettered free market is the best way to satisfy individual needs while also attaining the general good. Critics of libertarianism have argued,however,that free markets alone aren't sufficient to satisfy everyone's needs,and don't produce the general good. Write an essay in which you argue for or against the idea of unfettered free markets,from the perspective of a libertarian,liberal,communitarian,or some other political ideology Issues you should address include distributive justice,inequality and the rights of individuals.

The feminist philosopher who first argued against the notion that the natural condition of female existence required excessive concern for romantic love and desirability was

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.

John Locke's theory of the social contract anticipates Karl Marx in its sensitivity to the need for distributive justice.