Locke-d in
Social Contract:
Totally Whack?
Fun with Federalism
Enlightenment
in Spite of it
Recitation Recap
100

For Locke, how do people accumulate property?

Mixing their labor with nature. From Ch5 Sect. 26, “The labor of his body and the work of his hands, we may say, are properly his. Whatsoever, then, he removes out of the state that Nature hath provided and left it in, he hath mixed his labor with it, and joined to it something that is his own, and thereby makes it his property. ”

100

This thinker believes the social contract inherently racializes people. This process, ____ believes, ascribes civic and moral value to people based on their race.

Charles Mills

100

The anti-federalists were apprehensive about giving this division of government too much power.

The federal government, because they were worried that the presidency could become Monarchic. Therefore, the anti-federalists argued that the constitution must include a bill of rights.

100

Who said it? Bonus: What does it mean?

"The difference of natural talents in different men is, in reality, much less than we are aware of;
and the very different genius which appears to distinguish men of different professions, when
grown up to maturity, is not upon many occasions so much the cause as the effect of the
division of labour."

Adam Smith. Here, Smith means that we are all capable of innovating and being productive, but those who seem like "geniuses" are really just directing all their attention to getting really good at one specific skill. This is the division of labor Smith is referring to: he believed that if everyone specialized in one occupation/process, they would become a master of that pursuit. Geniuses, he is saying, look so "talented" because they have focused all their energy into becoming an expert in one area. Smith believed that if everyone focused on one specific skillset, our entire society would be more productive. Here is an example: I can learn all about computers and how to fix them, or I can focus only on computer processors. By spending more time on processors only, I will be most efficient and skilled in that area. Other people should have their own focus: another person does disk drives only, and someone else specializes in power cables. Together, we are much more productive with specializations compared to how productive we would be if we all had a broad understanding of computers.

100

This author describes problems that arise from "virtual factions."

Jeffrey Rosen 

200

What are the two provisios on inequality Locke includes in The Second Treatise?

1. Enough and as good: from Chapter 5 Section 26, "For this
labor being the unquestionable property of the laborer, no man but he can have a right to what that is once joined to, at least where there is enough, and
as good left in common for others."

2. Spoilage: from Chapter 5 Section 30, "As much as any one can make use of to any advantage of life before it spoils, so much he may by his labor fix a
property in. Whatever is beyond this is more than his share, and belongs to others."

200

What is the benefit of entering into a social contract, according to Locke?

Having protection over property but, importantly, having a means to dispute conflicts in a civil manner.

200

1. French argues that this branch of government has too much power. 

2. To solve this problem, French argues that we should..?

1. Executive

2. Revise the executive vesting clause: "..by changing the first sentence of Article II. Instead of declaring, 'The executive power shall be vested in a president of the United States of America,' it should read,'A president of the United States of America shall execute laws passed by Congress.'"

200

What are the 2 primary factors Kant believes prevent people from achieving enlightenment?

Cowardice and laziness

200

Who said it?

"Natural rights are those which appertain to man in right of his existence. Of this kind are all the intellectual rights, or rights of the mind, and also all those rights of acting as an individual or his own comfort and happiness, which are not injurious to the natural rights of others. Civil rights are those which appertain to man in right of his being a member of society...Of this kind are all those which relate to security and protection."

Thomas Paine. Here, he was arguing that we are born with natural rights, such as the right to think for ourselves and to make our own choices, as long as we are not hurting others. Natural rights, Paine believed, are the foundation for civil rights, such as the ability to be represented in government or have a legal right to property.

299

What was the foundation of Locke's argument for religious toleration?

That tolerance was a Christian virtue, and therefore people should be accepting of those with different varieties of Christian beliefs.

299

Does Locke believe that revolution is ever appropriate? If so, when?

Locke believed that if the government deprived people of their natural rights, including property, without the people's consent, the people could revolt against the government.

299

What is a compound republic?

The subdivision of power between the federal and state governments

299

For Kant, how could people achieve enlightenment?

Through the use of public reason. Using one's own faculty of reason and discussing ideas with others.

299

How does Jason Stanley propose we combat anti-intellectualism, fascism, and propaganda?

Increasing access to education

400

What are the two (2) exceptions to Lockean toleration?

1. Atheists are an exception to Locke because he argues that they aren't incentivized to adhere to covenants and oaths because they do not fear divine punishment. Locke sees these agreements as the bonds of human society.

2. Catholics are also an exception because their beliefs are potentially destructive to civil society, according to Locke. He takes issue with their prioritizing loyalty to the pope instead of their governments. This mixes civil and religious commitments, which Locke argues against. 

400

According to Mills, what is the "crucial metamorphosis" in:

1. social contract theory?

2. the racial contract?

1. From state of nature to civil society

2. Partitioned into white and non-white

400

What was Madison most concerned about, and what did he propose as a solution?

Madison was worried about factions. He argued that a large, federalist republic (in which people elected delegates to represent them) would be less prone to corruption and passions of the majority.

400

1.Who said it? (2. And what does it mean?)

"Any society in which the guarantee of rights is not assured or the separation of powers not
settled has no constitution. The constitution is null and void if the majority of individuals
composing the nation has not cooperated in its drafting."

Olympe de Gouges. She argued that a constitution did not carry the weight or law/was not legitimate if:

1.People's (natural) rights were not respected in a government, or by a government's constitution. 

2. People did not have a say in the creation of that government or have their voices heard when the government's constitution was written.

So, here she is saying that the American constitution is illegitimate because it claims to have power over women, but no women were consulted in its creation. In addition, the constitution is void because it is not truly representative of the will of the people (all people).

400

Hamilton writes, "..this detached and divided situation will expose them much less to heats and ferments.." 

1. What is the detached and divided situation?

2. What does he mean by heats and ferments? 

1. The electoral college: people would choose electors to vote for the president rather than choosing the president through popular vote.

2. This would prevent people from deciding a president based on temporary, strong emotions. 

500

Locke believed that people were born as "blank slates." What does this mean, and how does this belief affect his stance on religion?

Locke believed that people were not born with innate knowledge. He believed that people could understand God and salvation through reason, but that we couldn't know with absolute certainty that there was only one denomination with the correct christian belief system.

500

In discussing the "enough and as good" proviso, why does Nozick argue that private appropriation is often justified?

Nozick writes that private appropriation is often justified because the resulting system of private property makes others better off than they would be without any appropriation.

500

What does James Madison mean when he writes, "Ambition must be made to counteract ambition?"

No one branch of government can be allowed to become more powerful than the others, because this would lead to corruption. Madison believed that all human beings, including leaders, desired power, and so each branch would be in constant tension with the others. This, for Madison, was by design: each branch would try to secure more power for itself, and this struggle for power would prevent any one branch from dominating the rest.

500

According to Olympe de Gouges, what caused public misfortunes and governmental corruption? What kind of rights are included in the Declaration of the Rights of Woman?

Ignorance, neglect, or contempt for the rights of woman; tax, property, equality in front of the law to public opinions as well as to be punished etc,

500

Rosen argues that this is the best way for American society to "return to Madisonian principles." 

Promoting access to constitutional education, because an educated citizenry is the best defense against "crafty and dangerous encroachments on the public liberty.