Political Science 1020E Lecture Notes - Lecture 6: Experience Machine, Consequentialism, Appeasement

• School: Western University
• Department: Political Science
• Course: Political Science 1020E
• Professor: Nigmendra Narain

Document Summary

Wolff says that political obligation is: the obligation to obey the law because it is the law. Mid-term test: saturday 5th, 10am-12 noon, 125 questions (15 from tutorials 1-6, lectures 1-14 and required reading. 2000 word essay: due: friday november 11th, see owl site fo(cid:396) (cid:1005)) essay assig(cid:374)(cid:373)e(cid:374)t, (cid:1006)) d(cid:396). Jo(cid:374)es o(cid:374) (cid:858)how to w(cid:396)ite a(cid:374) essay(cid:859), a(cid:374)d (cid:1007)) Essay readings: topics: free speech, animal experiments, gambling. Utilitarianism: the good and the right good; pleasure right; just/unjust, morally right/wrong, the right action is the one that maximizes utility, utility = happiness, well-being, pleasure, preference satisfaction. Utilitarian and political obligation: obey the law if and only if doing so will produce greater happiness than disobeying (otherwise disobey the law, objection: this is a law-(cid:271)(cid:396)eake(cid:396)s(cid:859) (cid:272)ha(cid:396)te(cid:396) Utilitarianism: three parts: theory of the good (utility, happiness, commitment to equal concern, requirement of maximization: duty to produce as much good as possible.