Question 1

Do you believe that the state should provide "public goods"--goods that can be used by as many people as wish to use them without any diminution in their availability, and which you cannot exclude people from using? (One example of such a good is the light from lighthouses.) If yes, would you force people to pay for these goods through taxation, even if they did not want them? If no, how else could such goods ever be provided, given their nature?

Accepted Answer

I believe that the state should provide public goods, as they are essential for the well-being and functioning of society. Public goods, such as national defense, clean air and water, and infrastructure, benefit everyone and cannot be easily provided by the private sector.

In order to fund the provision of public goods, taxation is necessary. While it may seem unfair to force people to pay for goods they may not personally want or use, it is necessary for the greater good of society. Without taxation, it would be nearly impossible to fund the provision of public goods, as there would be no incentive for individuals to voluntarily contribute to their provision.

Alternatively, public goods could be provided through voluntary contributions or donations, but this is not a reliable or sustainable method of funding. Without taxation, there would likely be insufficient funding for the provision of public goods, leading to a decrease in overall societal well-being.

In conclusion, while it may seem coercive to force people to pay for public goods through taxation, it is necessary in order to ensure the provision of essential goods and services that benefit society as a whole.

Question 2

argues that people should realize their human potential through productive work that exercises their capacities.

Accepted Answer

Classical liberals

Question 3

Hobbes believed that individuals were naturally equal in their bodies and minds.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False  True

Question 4

Which of the following philosophers argued that the individual will develop fully only if he embraces the cultural practices of the state of which he is a member?

Accepted Answer

A)   John Rawls
B)   Karl Marx
C)   George W. F. Hegel
D)   Charles Taylor

Question 5

Negative rights are rights that protect freedoms of various kinds.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 6

Who most explicitly stated the view that justice is what promotes the general welfare?

Accepted Answer

A)   J. S. Mill
B)   G. E. Moore
C)   Plato
D)   Hobbes

Question 7

The view that in a just society everyone will be given equal shares of burdens and benefits is

Accepted Answer

A)   Strict egalitarianism
B)   Substantive egalitarianism
C)   Formal equality
D)   Rawlsian equality

Question 8

Who is being quoted in this passage? "Benefits and burdens are distributed justly when society allows every individual the freedom to do what he chooses to do for himself or for others, the freedom to keep what he makes for himself or what others choose to give him, and the freedom to keep what he has or give it to whomever he chooses."

Accepted Answer

A)   John Rawls
B)   Karl Marx
C)   John Stuart Mill
D)   Robert Nozick

Question 9

is the philosophical study of society and its problems.

Accepted Answer

The answer of is the philosophical study of society and...

Question 10

What did Hobbes believe rulers should use to form the wills of the people subject to them?

Accepted Answer

A)   Terror.
B)   Bribery.
C)   Reason.
D)   Safety.

Question 11

Thomas Hobbes and John Locke agree that

Accepted Answer

A)   the government must have absolute power in order to avoid chaos.
B)   a government derives its authority from God.
C)   rationality enables humans to perceive the necessity of entering a social contract to create the state.
D)   prior to the formation of government we do not have any rights.

Question 12

John Locke rejected the view that consent could be tacit.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 13

Thomas Jefferson was a disciple of

Accepted Answer

A)   Locke
B)   Rosseau
C)   Hobbes
D)   Plato

Question 14

Who believed that justice was the appropriate name for certain important social utilities?

Accepted Answer

A)   Mill
B)   Jefferson
C)   Locke
D)   Nozick

Question 15

What philosopher associated justice with merit, in the sense that individuals are treated and given a station in life according to their talents and accomplishments?

Accepted Answer

A)   Plato
B)   Aristotle
C)   Thomas Hobbes
D)   Karl Marx

Question 16

Hobbes and Locke were both social contract theorists.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 17

What philosopher wrote that life without government would be "solitary, poor, nasty, brutish, and short"?

Accepted Answer

A)   John Locke
B)   John Rawls
C)   Thomas Hobbes
D)   John Stuart Mill

Question 18

Nozick was a welfare liberal.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 19

Conditional pacifists hold that war is always wrong.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 20

Which two needs does Hobbes believes drive human action?

Accepted Answer

A)   Personal gain and love of others
B)   Personal gain and survival
C)   Love of others and survival
D)   Love of others and desire for peace

Exam 8: Social and Political Philosophy

argues that people should realize their human potential through productive work that exercises their capacities.

Hobbes believed that individuals were naturally equal in their bodies and minds.

Which of the following philosophers argued that the individual will develop fully only if he embraces the cultural practices of the state of which he is a member?

Negative rights are rights that protect freedoms of various kinds.

Who most explicitly stated the view that justice is what promotes the general welfare?

The view that in a just society everyone will be given equal shares of burdens and benefits is

is the philosophical study of society and its problems.

What did Hobbes believe rulers should use to form the wills of the people subject to them?

Thomas Hobbes and John Locke agree that

John Locke rejected the view that consent could be tacit.

Thomas Jefferson was a disciple of

Who believed that justice was the appropriate name for certain important social utilities?

What philosopher associated justice with merit, in the sense that individuals are treated and given a station in life according to their talents and accomplishments?

Hobbes and Locke were both social contract theorists.

What philosopher wrote that life without government would be "solitary, poor, nasty, brutish, and short"?

Nozick was a welfare liberal.

Conditional pacifists hold that war is always wrong.

Which two needs does Hobbes believes drive human action?