Reference no: EM133279521
Assignment - King Justify Breaking Laws Discussion Questions
1. Critically assess the Immoralist's Challenge (Thrasymachus & Glaucon). Do you agree that justice is nothing but the advantage of the stronger? Why or why not?
2. Why, according to Plato, ought philosophers do kings rule in the ideal state? Do you agree with his analysis? Why or why not?
3. Is Hobbes's defense of absolute sovereignty ultimately a defense of tyranny? If revolution/revolt is the only way to check an absolute sovereign, do you think that Hobbes's account of the commonwealth by the social contract is a recipe for a peaceful, stable political society? Why or why not? Fully explain your reasoning.
4. How does Rousseau understand the relationship between liberty and equality? What does he mean when he talks about equality? Finally, do you agree with his account of the origins of inequality and the strategy for remedying it? Why or why not?
5. David Hume rejects the validity of tacit consent as a basis for political obligation. Explain his reasoning. Do you agree? Why or why not? Be sure to consider objections or reasons why tacit consent might generate political obligations.
6. C.W. Mills claims that most white political philosophers have worked with a consensual model which ignores or denies the history of racism and slavery. Assess his claim. Do you think that his claim, if true, undermines/invalidates traditional contract theories (e.g., Hobbes, Rousseau), at the fundamental level? Why or why not?
7. Thoreau writes, "I think we should be men first, and subjects afterward...Law never made men a whit more just; and by means of their respect for it, even the well-disposed are daily made the agents of injustice." Explain what he means by this. Do you agree? Why or why not?
8. How does King justify breaking laws? Specifically, what three rules does he outline for determining when a law may justifiably be broken? Do you think that these rules provide compelling reasons for a concerned citizen to break the laws of his or her country? Why or why not?