Social Philosophy
the philosophical study of society including the study of the application of moral principles to the problems of society and the study of the nature of freedom, equality, justice, political obligation, and the state
Contract theory
John Locke, the doctrine that individuals give up certain liberties and rights to the state, which in turn guarantees such rights as life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness
Thomas Hobbes
the founder of the political philosophy, portrayed humans as selfish, unsocial creatures driven by two needs: survival and personal gain
John Locke
English philosopher who advocated the idea of a "social contract" in which government powers are derived from the consent of the governed and in which the government serves the people; also said people have natural rights to life, liberty and property.
Rousseau
wrote the social contract, that government is justified only of it is the outcome of a pact in which every citizen agrees under "general will" .
Social contract
the idea that an entire society agrees to be governed by its general will
Communitarianism
the view that the actual community in which we live should be the center of our analysis of society and government
Aristotle on communitarianism
argued that long ago government of the state is a natural out growth of our natural tendency to associate with other human beings, believed that the state was more important than an individual citizen
Hegel on communitarianism
believed that that the state is the completion of all earlier human associations and more important than the individual, humans can develop their freedom only within a state.
The social contract theory hold that the power of the state is based on
consent of the people
Thomas Hobbes believed that the best form of government was one that
exercised absolute powers
John Locke argued that in a state of nature,,
people will "seek out and ....join in society with others
Who said "The greatest and chief and of men uniting into commonwealths, and putting themselves under government, is the preservation of their property"?
John Locke
Many communitarians have criticized Rawl's social contract theory because it
ignores the vital importance of a community's cultural traditions
The idea that a person becomes actualized by subjecting personal interests to the larger common good of the State, thereby obtaining true freedom, was articulated by
Georg Hegel
THe challenge to communitarianism that "individuals have rights and these are trumps over the social good." was expressed by whom
Ronald Dworkin
When individuals rights conflict with community values, the rights of individuals take priority
liberalism
A society should be engineered so that people are free to so what they want, even when the majority thinks the lives they are creating for themselves are bad
liberalism
Without a larger community, political and cultural life cannot flourish
communitarianism
The state must remain neutral and allow individuals to choose their own values and ends
liberalism
Individuals have no social context outside the State
communitarianism
A requirement of human flourishing is engagement in public life
communitarianism
Justice
the quality of being just or fair
Retribution
the punishment that government exacts for some wrongdoing
Distribution
concerned with the fair and proper distributions of public benefits and burdens among members of a community
Merit
what people deserve in light of their talents and achievements, Plato
Retributive justice
justice that prevails when wrongdoers are fairly punished
Distributive justice
the justice that prevails when a society's benefits and burdens are fairly distributed
Social utility
Mills argued that a just society of one that distributed benefits and burdens in whatever way will produce the greatest social benefits or the lowest social harms
Need/Ability
Karl Marx- argued that the people develop their potential by working according to their ability, and distributing benefits by need promotes human happiness.
Liberty
Rawl's- the view that liberty is the most important value that society and government can promote
Law
a rule or body of rules that is imposed by a political authority that governs behavior and defines rights and obligations
Thomas Aquinas & laws
distinguished among several kinds of laws; eternal law, natural law, and human law
Eternal law
or divine law, refers to the reason of God by which the universe and all things in it are governed
Natural law
a pattern of necessary and universal regularity; a universal moral imperative derived from the nature of things; an moral standard inferred from the nature of human beings hat indicates how everyone ought to behave
Human law
a law that enacted by human beings; for Aquinas specific codes of justice that apply to a particular group, society, or community and that do not violate the natural or moral law
M. L. King
agreed with Aquinas and concluded that because discriminatory laws are unjust, they are not true laws and one is not obligate to obey them, but in a nonviolent, respectful way
Gandhi
argued that one has the right to disobey unjust laws and advocate nonviolent "passive" resistance to unjust laws because using violence to overthrow unjust laws will lead to more violence
J. S. Mill on freedom
wrote an essay "On liberty" presenting a powerful case for liberty. Specifically concerned with the extent to which government and society must be prohibited from interfering with an individuals life
Right
a justified entitlement or claim on others
Duty
an obligation imposed on individuals
Human rights
basic freedoms and rights that all people should enjoy.
Negative rights
rights that protect freedoms of various kinds (privacy, not to be killed, travel)
Positive rights
rights that guarantee people certain goods (education, medical care, food, housing)
According to Aristotle, justice is distributed in society
according to an individual's merit
Karl Marx's ideas of social justice drew on the ideas of
Aristotle
Karl Marx based his analysis of capitalism on his study of
economic growth
John Rawls' theory of social justice, inequality can be reconciled with social justice by means of
a distribution of social resources through welfare programs
The ideas of Robert Nozick call for
the elimination of taxation for the purpose of redistributing social resources
Empowerment is a type of economic aid that does not include
direct monetary relief
Large disparities in wealth can be harmful to societies that value a commonwealth, is a view held by
Aristotle, Karl Marx, and Michael Sandel