What is Progress?
Who was the author of "What is Progress"?
Woodrow Wilson
Who was the author of "Liberalism and Social Action"?
John Dewey
Who was the author of the "Study of Administration"?
Woodrow Wilson
Who was the author of "The Inspiration of the Declaration of Independence"?
Calvin Coolidge
What progressive theory refers to the idea that the Constitution should evolve with society?
Theory of the living constitution
Which philosophy is based on the rights of the individual, liberty, consent of the governed, political equality, the right to private property, and equality before the law?
Liberalism
What is administration?
government in action
What is the equality prinicple?
The idea the all men are created equal
What did progressives believe about history and human nature?
Humanity is constantly “progressing” throughout history
What is utilitarianism?
A moral philosophy that holds that the right action is the one that produces the greatest amount of good, or happiness, for the greatest number of people.
Why does the author think that giving elite expert administrators more power will make them more responsible?
Because he thinks more people will be watching what the experts are doing, placing them under a constant public spotlight.
According to the author, what were the American revolutionaries seeking to "conserve"?
Their traditional British rights (which were based on natural law)
What does Wilson say each age of history is defined by?
A dominant idea
What is Capitalism?
An economic system in which private individuals or businesses own the means of production and control property
What are the three stages of government development?
Absolute Rule by a monarch
Popular Constitution removes absolute rule
A sovereign people attempt administration
Give at least one way in which the conservative view of the Declaration of Independence differs from the progressive view
Progressives
-The Declaration of Independence was merely a practical document: the purpose was just to announce a new nation separate from Britain
-only relevant to its own time
-does not present a theory of government
Conservatives
-Not a merely practical document: New nations are formed all the time, so that’s not why it is chiefly remembered
-remembered for its “immortal” principles
-Presents a theory of government
Why do progressives think the government should follow a Darwinian model?
The government is more like a living organism than a machine. A living organism should not have its organs set against each other.
According to the author, what did early liberals view as the main threat to liberty and how did this differ from later liberals?
The government; later liberals saw corporations as the main threat to liberty.
What are the collection of government agencies that create, enforce, and judge their own laws known as?
The Administrative State
Give at least two reasons why the author thought the American Revolution was successful.
1. The Founding was a spiritual, not just a historical, event
2. It was not a standard oppressor vs oppressed revolution like Marxists call for
3. The character of the American people
4. The colonists were deeply thoughtful about every action they took
Why did Wilson consider the founders’ theory of government to be Newtonian?
Because the system of checks and balances is similar to opposing forces in physics
According to the author of this essay, what needed to be done in order to save liberalism/capitalism?
To save liberalism/capitalism, the government must be given more control over the means of production.
What is a bureaucracy?
A system of government in which most of the important decisions are made by state officials rather than by elected representatives.
Why does the author believe that the progressives are actually “reactionary”/regressive?
Their philosophy is no different than what every tyrannical government believed before the Founding: men have no natural rights and must look to the government to provide rights.