Reading Questions

Hobbes/Leviathan

Central theme: humans are inherently equal but selfish and need to create a social contract with the government to maintain order

Locke/Second Treatise of Government

Central theme: government power and legitimacy comes from the protection of natural rights and the consent of the governed; people form governments to protect their property and natural rights

Rawls/A Theory of Justice

Central theme: the pursuit of justice is idea #1; the “original position”

Walzer/In Defense of Equality

Central theme: equal distribution of wealth, resources, and systemic benefits

Bond/Scientification of Politics

Central theme: idk

[HOBBES] How does Hobbes define power?

The ability to obtain some future apparent good

4 types: natural, instrumental, reputational, commonwealth

• Natural power: individual characteristics that set one apart from others

• Instrumental power: gained/accumulated through resources (acquired power)

• Reputational power: success, money (social perception of power)

  • If people perceive someone as having power, they will be more inclined to submit to that person

• Commonwealth power: voluntarily pooling power with others (collective power)

[HOBBES] In what ways are humans equal? What are the implications of this? [ELAB]

Humans are equal because of the faculties of the mind and their ability to improve

[HOBBES] What are the principle causes of quarrel?

Competition, indifference, and glory

• Competition: natural rivalry for resources

• Indifference: invasion for safety (offense as defense)

• Glory: honor, reputation

[HOBBES] What is the right of nature and liberty?

The right of nature (jus naturale) is to the liberty had by individuals to use their power for the preservation of their own life

• Liberty: the absence of external impediments to do what one wants

Individuals may choose how to use their power

[HOBBES] What are the first and second laws of nature?

1. Seek and follow peace

   1. Golden Rule, natural rights exist

2. Do so by all means we can to defend ourselves

   1. Liberties must be sacrificed for societal freedom

[HOBBES] Can people give up their liberties?

People can give up their liberties to the government so that the government may protect them → this is the social contract or “covenant”

People cannot forfeit the right to self-defense

[HOBBES] 7. What is Hobbes' definition of injustice?

The non-performance of the covenant

[HOBBES] How do contracts work in the state of nature? [REV]

Contracts are used to protect the state of nature and “natural rights”

[LOCKE] What does Locke say about the law of nature?

“Being equal and independent, no one ought to harm another in his life, health, liberty, or possessions.”

Based on reason

Anyone may punish a violation of this law

[LOCKE] Where does property come from?

Property comes from the person: their body, the labor they create, and the fruits of such labor

[LOCKE] Why do people form governments? [ELAB]

People form governments to protect their property and natural rights and create impartiality

[LOCKE] What are the limits of government? [ELAB]

The limits of government include undermining personal rights and property, the inability to force citizenship, and being subject to a fair, equal legal system

[LOCKE] When can government be dissolved? [ELAB]

Government can be dissolved if it undermines personal rights and property/violates the social contract/goes against the ideals expressed above

[BOND] What does Harvey Mansfield mean when he says that universities no longer educate students in “greatness”?

IDK

[BOND] What was the behavioral revolution?

Behavioral revolution: the scientification and modernization of political science, specifically as it relates to studying political psychology and behavior

[BOND] What does Bond say that Political Science is a “hard” science? What does he mean by this?

Because “The challenges to observation and measurement of our key concepts seem greater than those facing other sciences”

[BOND] What does Bond identify as the key elements of the Scientific Method?

Bond identifies the key elements of the Scientific Method as fact/value dichotomy, the systematic observation of empirical facts (reliability and replication), quantification, hypothesis testing and theory building, falsifiability, and generalizability.

• Fact/value dichotomy: research focuses on how/why things work instead of how/why they should work

• Systematic observation of empirical facts (reliability and replication): “provide information about how observations were made and analyzed so that someone else can check our work” to distinguish fact from opinion (899)

• Quantification: “useful for systematically recording observations and for checking reliability… testing hypotheses and finding relationships in studies with a large number of cases” (899)

• Hypothesis testing and theory building: “if we can explain how and why something varies, then we should be able to predict what will happen under certain conditions” (899)

• Falsifiability: an empirical theory or hypothesis cannot be scientific unless there is at least the possibility of proving it wrong (899)

• Generalizability: case studies may be applied to broader ideas

[BOND] What is rational choice theory?

Rational choice theory: people will act in their own self-interest

[BOND] What is Bond’s over-arching argument in this paper?

IDK