Political Philosophy

Political Philosophy Skill

Master the fundamental questions of political life: What justifies the state? What is justice? What are our rights?

Core Questions

State Legitimacy

Social Contract Theories

SOCIAL CONTRACT TRADITION
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HOBBES (1588-1679)
├── State of nature: War of all against all
├── Life: "Solitary, poor, nasty, brutish, short"
├── Contract: Give up freedom for security
└── Result: Absolute sovereign (Leviathan)

LOCKE (1632-1704)
├── State of nature: Peace with inconveniences
├── Natural rights: Life, liberty, property
├── Contract: Limited government to protect rights
└── Result: Liberal constitutional state

ROUSSEAU (1712-1778)
├── State of nature: Noble savage, corrupted by society
├── Problem: How to be free yet bound by law?
├── Solution: General will (not will of all)
└── Result: Direct democracy, civic virtue

Contemporary Social Contract

Rawls: Hypothetical contract behind veil of ignorance Gauthier: Bargaining among rational self-interested agents Scanlon: Principles no one could reasonably reject

Justice

Rawls's Theory

RAWLSIAN JUSTICE
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ORIGINAL POSITION
├── Hypothetical choice situation
├── Veil of ignorance: Don't know your place
├── Rational, self-interested choosers
└── What principles would you choose?

TWO PRINCIPLES
1. LIBERTY PRINCIPLE
   └── Equal basic liberties for all
   └── Speech, conscience, association, etc.

2. DIFFERENCE PRINCIPLE
   └── Inequalities only if they benefit worst-off
   └── With fair equality of opportunity

PRIORITY:
Liberty > Fair opportunity > Difference principle

Alternative Theories

Nozick's Entitlement Theory

LIBERTARIAN JUSTICE
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JUSTICE IN ACQUISITION
├── How did you originally get it?
└── Must be legitimate

JUSTICE IN TRANSFER
├── Voluntary exchange
└── Gift, sale, etc.

RECTIFICATION
├── Correct past injustices
└── Compensation, restitution

MINIMAL STATE
├── Only protection services
├── No redistribution
└── "Taxation is forced labor"

Liberty

Negative vs. Positive Freedom

Negative (Berlin): Freedom FROM interference

• You're free if no one stops you
• Liberal tradition

Positive: Freedom TO achieve goals

• You're free if you can realize your potential
• May require resources, support

Republican Liberty

Non-Domination (Pettit):

• Freedom as absence of arbitrary power over you
• Not just non-interference
• Slave with kind master is still unfree

Rights

Nature of Rights

Natural Rights: Pre-political, inherent in persons Legal Rights: Created by law, conventional Moral Rights: May or may not be legal

Rights as Trumps (Dworkin)

Rights override utilitarian calculations Individual rights > Collective good

Will Theory vs. Interest Theory

Will Theory: Rights protect choices Interest Theory: Rights protect interests

Democracy

Justifications

Problems

• Tyranny of majority
• Voter ignorance
• Special interests
• Minority rights

Key Debates

Liberty vs. Equality

• Trade-off or compatible?
• Economic liberty vs. economic equality
• Formal vs. substantive equality

Individual vs. Community

• Liberal: Individual prior to community
• Communitarian: Community shapes individuals
• Identity, tradition, solidarity

Multiculturalism

• Cultural rights
• Recognition
• Integration vs. assimilation

Key Vocabulary

Integration with Repository

Related Themes

• thoughts/morality/: Justice, rights
• thoughts/free_will/: Political freedom