Question 1

Which of the following philosophers argued that a law is nothing more than a command issued by a ruler, backed by threats of punishment and maintained by a habit of obedience?

Accepted Answer

A)  Martin Luther King, Jr. 
B)  John Austin 
C)  Thomas Aquinas 
D)  John Stuart Mill

Question 2

David Hume argued that

Accepted Answer

A)  the government must have absolute power in order to avoid chaos. 
B)  the government derives its authority from God. 
C)  there is no legitimate authority for government. 
D)  governments are formed by conquest or succession.

Question 3

Communitarians argue that the state is natural.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 4

According to Nozick, what sort of theory of justice does Rawls develop?

Accepted Answer

A)  Formal 
B)  Patterned 
C)  Historical 
D)  Socialist

Question 5

In his defense of civil disobedience, Martin Luther King, Jr. argued that

Accepted Answer

A)  violent resistance to an unjust law is morally justified. 
B)  the law cannot be used to enforce morality. 
C)  instead of trying to change people's hearts, we should kill the people who uphold unjust laws. 
D)  an unjust law is no law at all.

Question 6

What, according to Hobbes, is the "chief end" of men uniting into a commonwealth?

Accepted Answer

A)  Survival 
B)  Preservation of property 
C)  Peace 
D)  Survival of the fittest

Question 7

Who held that justice consisted of each person doing the job appropriate to their class?

Accepted Answer

A)  Rawls 
B)  Sandel 
C)  Aristotle 
D)  Plato

Question 8

says that individuals give up certain rights and liberties to the state, which guarantees other rights.

Accepted Answer

The answer of says that individuals give up certain rights...

Question 9

Do you believe that liberty is always a good thing for people to have, or not? Explain your answer, and outline what sort of a state it might lead you to endorse.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Do you believe that liberty is always...

Question 10

Drawing from the Crito dialogue (discussed in Chapter 1) do you believe that you have any obligation to obey the state? Support your answer by reference to the theories of at least two of the following: Hobbes, Locke, and Rousseau.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Drawing from the Crito dialogue (discussed in...

Question 11

What assumptions about human nature does Rawls make in developing his theory of justice using the artifice of the original position? Do you think that these assumptions are justified, or not? If so, do you think that the principles of justice that Rawls develops are binding on persons who were not in the original position (i.e., us)? Why, or why not? If not, do you think that the inadequacy of these assumptions undercut Rawls' views? Explain and justify your answer.

Accepted Answer

The answer of What assumptions about human nature does Rawls...

Question 12

Feuerbach held that philosophy is the science of .

Accepted Answer

The answer of Feuerbach held that philosophy is the science...

Question 13

Hobbes believed that nothing could be unjust in the war of all against all.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 14

The view that the wealth that is produced in society belongs to everyone in society is

Accepted Answer

A)  Formal Egalitarianism 
B)  Substantive egalitarianism 
C)  Libertarianism 
D)  Socialism

Question 15

Who said that the state was "prior to the individual"?

Accepted Answer

A)  Rawls 
B)  Aristotle 
C)  Plato 
D)  Bentham

Question 16

Hegel believed that the state was more than the individual.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Hegel believed that the state was more...

Question 17

Hobbes believed that the authority of the state was justified.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 18

Which of the following is a concept in John Rawl's philosophy that is similar to the concept of the "state of nature"?

Accepted Answer

A)  the original position 
B)  the natural law 
C)  social utility 
D)  natural rights

Question 19

Should there be any limits on what the state can do? Would you answer depend on the circumstances in which the state was acting, with it varying between times of peace, and times of war, for example?

Accepted Answer

The answer of Should there be any limits on what...

Question 20

What philosopher argues that in a just society work burdens should be distributed according to people's abilities, and benefits should be distributed according to people's needs?

Accepted Answer

A)  Georg W. F. Hegel 
B)  Karl Marx 
C)  Plato 
D)  John Rawls

Exam 8: Social and Political Philosophy

Which of the following philosophers argued that a law is nothing more than a command issued by a ruler, backed by threats of punishment and maintained by a habit of obedience?

David Hume argued that

Communitarians argue that the state is natural.

According to Nozick, what sort of theory of justice does Rawls develop?

In his defense of civil disobedience, Martin Luther King, Jr. argued that

What, according to Hobbes, is the "chief end" of men uniting into a commonwealth?

Who held that justice consisted of each person doing the job appropriate to their class?

says that individuals give up certain rights and liberties to the state, which guarantees other rights.

Do you believe that liberty is always a good thing for people to have, or not? Explain your answer, and outline what sort of a state it might lead you to endorse.

Drawing from the Crito dialogue (discussed in Chapter 1) do you believe that you have any obligation to obey the state? Support your answer by reference to the theories of at least two of the following: Hobbes, Locke, and Rousseau.

Feuerbach held that philosophy is the science of .

Hobbes believed that nothing could be unjust in the war of all against all.

The view that the wealth that is produced in society belongs to everyone in society is

Who said that the state was "prior to the individual"?

Hegel believed that the state was more than the individual.

Hobbes believed that the authority of the state was justified.

Which of the following is a concept in John Rawl's philosophy that is similar to the concept of the "state of nature"?

Should there be any limits on what the state can do? Would you answer depend on the circumstances in which the state was acting, with it varying between times of peace, and times of war, for example?

What philosopher argues that in a just society work burdens should be distributed according to people's abilities, and benefits should be distributed according to people's needs?