Part I: Early Modern Political Though
1. Under what conditions is a government legitimate? Compare and contrast the answers offered by two of the following people: El Amine, Hobbes, Locke, Rousseau.
2. How would Rousseau characterize a virtuous citizen? How does his description differ from the one offered by either Burke, Machiavelli, Wollstonecraft, or Mill? Choose only one person for the comparison.
Part II: The Turn to the Nineteenth Century
3. In the Federalist Papers, the authors identify factions as the fundamental problem facing democracies. What are the solutions they propose to the problem of factions? Compare and contrast their solution to that provided by one of the following people: Rousseau, Machiavelli, Mill, Wollstonecraft, or Marx.
4. Is democracy the best form of government? Discuss the strongest argument in favor of democracy offered by J.S. Mill. Discuss the strongest criticism of democracy among those offered by Marx, Burke, or Hobbes. Assess which argument you find most persuasive. Make sure to define democracy prior to answering the question.
5. Adam Smith’s Wealth of Nations is often read as a defense of free trade, unregulated markets in labor, goods, and capital, and small government. Do you find this reading plausible? If yes, what is the strongest argument Smith offers as part of this defense? If not, why not? Regardless of the position you take, consider at least one counterargument to Smith from either Wollstonecraft, Rousseau, Marx, or Mill.
6. According to Marx, the communist revolution is (1) inevitable and (2) morally justified. Explain what each of these claims means and explain Marx’s strongest argument for each claim. What is the strongest objection to either (1) or (2) that might be provided by one of the following people: the authors of the Federalist Papers, Smith, Mill, or Locke?
0 comments