Chapter 2: Political Culture: Ideas in Conflict Flashcards
Political Culture
Widely shared ideas about who should govern, for what ends, and by what means
Widely shared ideas about who should govern, for what ends, and by what means
Beliefs and Values
Beliefs are
Shared ideas about what is true, and can determine values
Values are
Shared ideas about what is good and desirable and provide standards for judging what is right and wrong
Individual liberty
The high worth of individual liberty is widely accepted
Classical liberalism
Political philosophy asserts the worth and dignity of the individual and emphasizes the rational ability of human beings to determine their desires
Political liberty: According to John Locke, argued that a natural law, or moral principle, guaranteed every person:
“certain inalienable rights,” among them “Life, Liberty, and Happiness.”
Political liberty and Social Contract Theory
Implicit in these concepts is the belief that governmental activity and restrictions on individuals should be kept to a minimum
Economic freedom
Classical liberation as a political idea is closely associated with capitalism
Capitalism is
An economic system in which individuals have a right to own, buy, sell, rent, and trade property in a free market
Equality of Opportunity
Elimination of artificial barriers to success in life and the opportunity for everyone to strive for success
American are generally willing to have government act to ensure
Equality of opportunity
Equality of results is
Equal sharing of income and material goods regardless of one’s efforts in life
Equality of results appears to
Be growing in popularity among Americans
Fairness
Americans value “fairness” even though they do not always agree on what is fair
Income increases are due to
1) The decline of the manufacturing economic sector and the increase of communication, information, and service economic sectors
2) The rise in the number of two-wage families, female-headed households making a single wage
3) Demographic trends, including a larger elderly population