POL_SC 1100 Midterm: Midterm 1 Review Questions
Document Summary
1) intellectual traditions behind american founding: ancient greeks (plato, aristotle) Believed in natural order, great chain of being. Man was a political animal (politikon zoon) Human beings by greek definition were political and close, if not they were not considered human. Believed human beings were perfectible & could be better people. Government embodied the people, their common interest: humans are perfectible, polis promotes ar te. Factions (interest groups) were considered selfish, didn"t reflect society as a whole but only a portion. Possible because of small nature of the polis (size of city-state) Liberalism = thomas hobbes & john locke, only legitimate governments are controlled under the social contract theory, values life/liberty/property. Representation : based on hobbes, locke, etc, practical necessity given geographic size, facilitated by developing diverse interests. Unlike aristotle, believed people were perpetually imperfect. Equal, free, & intelligent but: state of perpetual war solitary, poor, nasty, brutish, and short . Government should protect diverse interests e. g. religious tolerance.
