American Heritage Flashcards
Plato
Philosopher kings. Against democracy and tyranny. Ring of Gyges
Ring of Gyges
When people are left to do as they please (invisible), they’ll be evil
Aristotle
Aristocracy. Most excellent rule with consent. Government instills virtues
Pericles
first Athenian democracy
St. Augustine
“City of God” ruled by church leaders
Thomas Moore
“utopia”. religious freedom and education
Rousseau
people are inherently good, corrupted by government
Humes
Collective Action Problem. People work towards self interest, but working together benefits everyone
Rawls
Veil of Ignorance. Creators of government should make the government not knowing where they are going to end up in it. Good govt for EVERYONE
Adam Smith
“Wealth of Nations”. Mercantilism is bad, decentralized markets. Focus should be on consumption
Thomas Hobbes
Humans are inherently evil, need a government to keep them in check
2nd Treatise #1
In a state of nature, all humans are created equal
2nd Treatise #2
In order to create a union, people must give up some rights
2nd Treatise #3
Government exists to protect the rights of the people
2nd Treatise #4
People give consent to the government to be governed
2nd Treatise #5
People have right to abolish the government if government fails to do its job
Rule of Law
Generality, Consent, Prospectivity, Publicity, Due Process
Generality
Rules apply to everyone
Consent
People give their consent to be governed
Publicity
Laws are made public
Prospectivity
Laws don’t apply to past events
Due Process
Like generality. Everyone is treated equally in court
Trustee model of Representative
goes with personal morals
Delegate model of Representative
goes with constituents