Final exam Flashcards
Liberal core beliefs
- Man has both the ability to reason and innate dignity and that using these qualities leads to progress
- Humankind can use reason to eventually create a perfect (or near-perfect) society on Earth
- The Rule of Law protects the dignity of man and allows individual liberty to exist so that man can reason and allow his conscience to guide his actions
Conservatives core belief
- Mankind is fallen and does not improve when left to its own devices, but instead falls prey to instability, selfishness, and chaos
- A perfect society can never be created here on Earth, thus it is a foolish, and even dangerous, goal
- The Rule of the strong and wise is needed to lead mankind to a better future and to protect them from themselves
What do conservatives choose?
Reject intellectualism Religion Individualism Pride of country Reluctant to change
What do liberals/whigs choose?
Supported Enlightenment
Government is agent for change
Favor working men over owners
Protect minority rights
Charles Dickens
English author; attacked many social problems faced bt the poor of his day in his books (Oliver Twist- child orphanages, Hard times- evils of industrialization, bleak house- unhealthy London weather caused by industrialization)
Jeremy Bentham
British philosopher; developed Utilitarianism
Core principles of Utilitarianism
- all people are self interested
- Gov, that made decisions according to principles of Utilitarianism were democratic b/c they supported the ideas of the majority of the people.
- science and technology should be used to solve the problems of society
Calculus of felicity
a science based method for making utilitarian decisions; Intensity – how intense? Duration – how long? Certainty – how sure? Propinquity – how soon? Fecundity – how many more? Purity – how free from pain? Extent – how many people are affected?
5 drawbacks to utiliarianism
- assumes that science can actually determine what is of the most value
- provides no way to ensure that the leaders who decide what is of most value for the most people will act correctly
- ignores idea that what is good for most people might not always be the right/moral thing to do
- requires a high level of education of all people so that the people can make informed choices and not be swayed by those with money or easy access to media
- gives the majority of absolute control and often ignores individual cases
Thomas Malthus
believed the world would reach a point of crisis when the population surpassed the amount of resources.
Karl Marx
created communism, from Germany but kicked out for radical politics and went to England
Basic premises of the communist manifesto
- History of world is driven by class struggles
- One class always exploits others
- The Middle Class (bourgeoisie) triumphed over the upper class in the 18th Century Enlightenment and Industrial Revolution
- The Worker Class (proletariat) will triumph over the Middle Class (with revolution as the method)
Basis premises of Das Kapital
- The value of a product is the amount of labor to produce it.
- The fair wage for a worker is the value of his work (the value of the product).
- In capitalism, the owner must sell the product for more than the worker is paid (profit).
- The capitalist increases profits by increasing selling price and/or reducing wages.
- The lowest possible wage is the subsistence level and this is the level paid (because of a surplus of labor)
- Surplus labor is maintained by replacing workers with machines.
Problems with communism
- Ignores imagination and entrepreneurship
- Ignores technological improvements
- Attacks natural self-interest
- Leads to stagnation
- Ignores human education, experience, talents and work differences
- Assumes that capitalism/government policy will not adjust
Goals of communism
Put the means of production (ownership of the factories, etc.) in the hands of the workers so they won’t be exploited by owners
All own all in common
All contribute
A temporary central government oversees this transition from a capitalist society
Eventually a utopian-like brotherhood where all needs are met is established and the government dissolves
John Stuart Mill
the “Greatest Happiness Principle” which defines the usefulness of anything as that which produces the greatest happiness for the greatest number of people.
Imperialism
Scientific expeditions Interest in other countries Industrial revolution A desire for captive markets Social Darwinism Belief that whites were superior to other races Motivators for empire Gold Glory God
Washington Irving
American folk tales; “legend of sleepy hollow”, “Rip van wrinkle”
Henry W. Longfellow
narrative poems; The songs of Hiawatha (indian)
Courtship of Miles Standish (puritans)
James Feminore Cooper
Defining the attributes of an american; archetype of the “American Hero”
Natty Bumppo, Last of the Mohicans, The Deerslayer
Herman Melville
Psychological thriller; Moby Dick- symbolic literature, any man and his quest to better his demons, and how it can be dangerous.
Edgar Allen Poe
Invented mystery and horror novel; dark poetry with morals,
The Raven; wife died in Baltimore
Cask of Amontillado
Pit and the pendulum
Mark Twain
Comedy + pathos
Showed the American spirit and the American frontier
Tom Sawyer
Huckleberry Finn
