Who Said That?
"No society in which those liberties (freedom of conscious, freedom of expression freedom of association) are not, on the whole, respected, is free, whatever may be its form of government."
Mill
"Nothing is more certain, than our manners, our civilization, and all the good things which are connected with manner, and with civilization, have, in this European world of ours, depended for ages upon two principles...I mean the spirit of a gentleman and the spirit of religion."
- Burke "Reflections on The French Revolution
Civilization depends on the upholding of tradition and religion.
What do "small c" conservatives believe about the reach and scope of government?
There are no limits on government
Explain Mill's "Harm Principle"
Your right to do something ends when you harm others.
Harm is intentional. Hurt is unintentional and indirect- Mill thinks this may occur without violating the principle.
Universal Law
Formula for Humanity
Kingdom of Ends / Principle of Autonomy
"Nature has placed mankind under the governance of two sovereign masters, pain and pleasure. It is for them alone to point out what we ought to do, as well as to determine what we shall do."
Bentham
"The general object which all laws have, or ought to have, in common, is to augment the total happiness of the community; and therefore, in the first place, to exclude, as far as may be, every thing that tends to subtract from that happiness: in other words, to exclude mischief. But all punishment is mischief: all punishment in itself is evil. Upon the principle of utility, if it ought at all to be admitted, it ought only to be admitted in as far as it promises to exclude some greater evil."
Punishment causes pain. Therefore, it is only acceptable if it can lesson a larger pain.
How does Burke connects aesthetics to government?
Burke believes that when power is represented beautifully, we will be more amenable to being ruled and will be proud of our government / nation
For Bentham, what are the four sources of pleasure and pain?
Physical, Political, Moral, Religious
No. But Kant believes that if we begin with this moral standard and try to meet it, we will get closer and closer to it.
"But what is liberty without wisdom and without virtue? It is the greatest of all possible evils; for it is folly, vice and madness, without tuition or restraint."
Burke
"If a person possesses any tolerable amount of common sense and experience, his own mode of laying out his existence is the best, not because it is the best in itself, but because it is his own mode."
- Mill
Each person is different and will want different things for his life. This is totally fine. (For Mill, this defines his utilitarianism)
Classify the following traits as liberal or conservative:
Natural order / Tradition
Progress
Reason
Morality
Rule of Law
Rule of Elites
Individual Rights
conservative: Natural Order/Tradition, Morality, Rule of Law, Rule of Elites
liberal: Progress, Reason, Individual Rights
Explain whether or not Bentham's utilitarianism is compatible with "reason"
It is compatible because people will rationally do things to avoid future pain. People will pursue pleasure now, but not to the point where it will bring them future pain.
Define Teleology
A teleological view means that the world is heading toward something. Over time, human society will progress.
(For Kant, we will get closer to the categorical imperative, be less likely to lie, etc)
"This, then, is the appropriate region of human liberty. It comprises, first, the inward domain of consciousness; demanding liberty of conscious, in the most comprehensive sense; liberty of thought and feeling; absolute freedom of opinion and sentiment on all subjects."
Mill
“I should never act in such a way that I cannot also will that my maxim should become a universal law.”
- Kant
This is the Universal Law rule of the Categorical Imperative.
One should only do something they would be ok with every single other person doing.
- Rapid change is suspicious and can destroy our institutions
- The revolution abandons tradition and prejudice and loses the way things were done in the past
- Good rule is based in safety and respect. The revolution throws this away
- The common people have no place ruling
How is Mill's definition of liberalism utilitarian?
Mill thinks that individual rights and liberties and the right to pursue life as we see fit will enable us to pursue pleasure.
Mill thinks we should be able to do what we like (ie-pursue pleasure) unless it brings others harm (ie-causes pain).
True or False: If a government violates the categorical imperative, a citizen must continue to obey them.
Why?
True
- Overthrowing the government is done in secret and violates the publicity principle
- We need government in order to have political rights and follow the categorical imperative. Revolution would dismantle the political conventions that help us progress.
“An action done from duty has its moral worth not from the purpose that is to be attained by it, but in the maxim according to which the action is determined."
Kant
“Truthfulness in statements that cannot be avoided is the formal duty of man to everyone" otherwise, "All rights based on contracts become void and lose their force, and this is a wrong done to mankind in general.”
- Kant
It is everyone's duty to everyone else to tell the truth. If people lie, agreements lose their worth because people lose trust in one another.
How does Mill's liberalism differ from Locke's liberalism?
Locke bases liberalism in property- individual rights are grounded in property of the self and property acquired through labor. We need equal rights because we are all fundamentally equal.
Mill advocates for many individual rights that apply to everyone. His liberalism is not grounded in property. We need equal rights to allow the genius in each person to emerge.
Explain how Bentham shares similarities with Hobbes.
Bentham believes we are driven by pleasure and avoidance of pain.
Hobbes thinks natural man is driven by appetites and aversions.
The general principle about human nature and what motivates him is similar.
What is the difference between autonomy and heteronomy?
Autonomy looks to the self to determine morality and right from wrong.