Hobbes believes that there is no such thing as justice until the Leviathan is established. This means that justice does not exist independently of an authority to define and enforce it. Explain why you agree or disagree with this view.
Respond to the Philosophy Now exercise questions on page 371 concerning “Merit or Equality: Who Gets to Live?”
Don’t we reward athletes, doctors, lawyers, and business executives according to their merit and not by democratic vote? Should our leaders be chosen the same way, as Plato suggests? Why or why not?
To determine citizens’ aptitudes and talents, Plato favored testing them while they are young. Is it possible to discover the best career for someone this way? What about people who discover or develop their true talents later in life? Is Plato too optimistic about the ease of discovering a person’s true calling?
Explain Plato’s Utopian vision for a just society. In your view, what would be some of the beneficial or harmful effects of a society based solely on merit, as Plato proposed?
Discussion #1: The Declaration of Independence The tensions that arose between Great Britain and her North American colonies as a result of taxation and other measures following the Seven Years’ War culminated in war, a movement for independence, and the establishment of a new nation. The ideals that fueled the Revolution were grounded in Enlightenment […]
Discussion #2: Reconstructing the Nation 2121 unread replies.3838 replies. The Civil War ended on April 9, 1865, and the original goal of the North to preserve the Union was accomplished. The task that lay before Lincoln and Congress was to reintegrate the rebellious Southern states into the Union. For many white Southerners “Reconstruction was a […]
Discussion #3: The late 19th-century self-made man. 2121 unread replies.3838 replies. Industrialization brought great wealth to America, but the price was quite high. The growing extremes of poverty and wealth that were being exhibited at the end of the 19th century, caused some to seek ways to make possible a just and humane society, while […]
Discussion #4: American Imperial Expansion The Republican victory in 1896 gave heart to proponents of prosperity through foreign trade. McKinley sought neither war nor colonies, but many in his party wanted both. Called “jingos,” they included Assistant Secretary of the Navy, Theodore Roosevelt; John Hay, the ambassador to London, and senators Albert Beveridge and […]
Discussion #5: How progressive was the Progressive Era? The Progressive-era stands out as a time when reformers sought to address social ills brought about by a rapidly changing society. Debates surrounded issues such as political corruption, the regulation of business practices, racial equality, women’s suffrage, and the living conditions of impoverished immigrants overcrowded into urban […]
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