Midterm 3/Final Flashcards
What is meant by saying the wealth in 1870 was the same as having wealth in 1770?
Wealth was a display of the amount of things one had, not the commodities one enjoyed.
Author and main idea of “Slouching toward Utopia”
J. Bradford de Long
Before 1870 major inventions did not lead to any changes in the world order or lead to any waves of invention. After 1870 the “second Industrial Revolution” led to a series of inventions and societal reformations that shaped America into the beacon of innovation and opportunity. People moved from around the world to be in America and enjoy the economy of corporations that raised the standard of living greatly.
Author and main idea of “The Laws of England”
Sir William Blackstone
When men and women marry, they must be willing to contract, able to contract, and actually contract under the proper forms and solemnities required by law. When they marry they become a single unit duly responsible for debts, responsibilities, etc. A man is charged with disciplining his wife since he is also responsible for her behavior. Anciently, harsh discipline was used but modern times are against this.
Author and main idea of “Divisions of Household Labor”
The concise encyclopedia of sociology
After the industrial revolution, spheres of work developed. Households used to generally be self-sufficient but now the men typically seek work in urban factories (productive or paid labor) while women work at home doing housework (unproductive or unpaid labor). When kids are born, men will typically be less involved in housework while women increase their housework load to take care of the extra family members
What was the new definition of wealth from the second industrial revolution?
It is not how MUCH stuff you have (like before), it is WHAT you have
In what 5 ways did the second industrial revolution change the nation and world? What author/reading says this?
Economic growth
A shift in what people did for work
A demographic shift as a result of massive immigration
Urbanization and appearance of the metropolis
The emergence of the large corporation
Brad De Long “Slouching toward Utopia”
What were the general roles of men and women in their homes pre-second industrial revolution?
Men harvested raw materials, women refined them for use. It was a very co-dependent relationship
When women were no longer refining the materials their husbands brought home, what did they refine?
Their homes and the family morals
What was the biggest concern of a large influx of immigrants between 1890 and 1910?
Difference of values
Religion
Hygiene
Loyalty to Pope and not the constitution
What were the two big concerns of urbanization and growth in cities during the early 1900’s?
The traditional “Town Hall” meeting for democracy didn’t work for millions of people in a city.
Hygiene in a city had not been developed. Pandemic were common place
What national impact did large corporations lead to?
A huge focus on education
Author and main idea of “Two Kinds of Liberty”
Isaiah Berlin/Grant Madsen
Negative liberty is the notion that freedom comes from NOT having to do something, aka freedom from coercion. It is negative because it negates what others (like the government) can do to me.
Positive liberty argues that we increase freedom by increasing abilities. This means that coercion can increase freedom in the long run (such as coercing children in the US to attend school until they’re 18).
What is the “harm principle” talked about by Berlin?
Negative liberty argues that the only purpose for which power can be rightfully exercised over any member of a civilized community, against his will, is to prevent harm to others.
What are the two criticisms of negative liberty discussed by Berlin?
Heroin: If freedom is leaving one to make their own decisions, soon we see they make bad decisions. Even when a person gives themself to harm or addiction, negative liberty says we cannot interfere because all people are sovereign for their own beings. Even if everyone else knows heroin is wrong or harmful for them, it is their choice to pursue happiness.
The divided self: Because we are sovereign over ourselves, we can choose to follow our worst instincts. This would eventually make us a slave to them. Also if we become addicted to something, we deliver our sovereignty to the addiction (or worst instincts) rather than ourselves, losing the freedom we originally had.
What are the two criticisms of positive liberty discussed by Berlin?
Human Nature: Positive liberty has to assume some human ideal as a basis to determine what coercion increases freedom and what doesn’t.
Who, exactly, is in charge?: Because some ideal is needed to base judgments of freedom on, someone has to decide what this ideal is. Usually this power that decides the ideal is the state.
What are the two root qualities of liberty as defined by Berlin?
- Must be capable of doing something
- Cannot meet interference from other people to do it
How does the positive liberty as described by Berlin differ from the definition of liberty described by others like Adam Smith or John Locke (negative liberty)?
Positive liberty tends to reject the passion-based freedom and institutional design that informs capitalism and our constitution
Author and main idea of “A fierce discontent”
Michael McGerr
The Second Industrial Revolution changed life dramatically and provoked the importance and division of classes. He describes the upper 10, the middle class, and the working class. The middle class (Victorians/Progressives), and especially the women, are living urban lives amidst lots and lots of hardships that are somewhat exacerbated by large amounts of immigrants. The Victorians realized they were alienated from the upper 10 and the lower working class. Progressives didn’t like all the spending of the upper 10 or the loose morals of the time.
What was the context of the progressive movement?
So much transformation and a change in the way of life thanks to the second industrial revolution
Corporations had a huge impact on education because they were looking for…
middle management
How did the middle class describe the upper 10 of the early second industrial revolution?
Showed no discipline
Too rich and powerful
Too prideful
Gambled
High divorce/low morality
Too fancy with their stuff
How did the middle describe the working class of the early second industrial revolution?
Women worked
Children also worked instead of school
With their meager wages, still focused on consumption
No focus on thrift
Too catholic
To dirty/unrefined
Partied too much, especially in saloons
Too loose with morals
Danced too close to each other
What is the summary of the threat the middle class felt?
Threat to the family, too individualistic
Progressivism is essentially what?
The threats the middle class felt from the upper and lower class to their way of life/values.
Were progressives embracing positive or negative liberty?
Positive liberty through reworking domesticity, restrain pleasure, anti-individualism, association, state power
What specific group of the middle class truly represented the values the Victorians pushed for? Why?
Women. Through the second industrial revolution, women were no longer refining raw materials, they refined morals and souls and saw themselves as more virtuous
What is first wave feminism?
Women saw themselves as more virtuous and dignified than their male counterparts in the early second industrial revolution
What notion did women reject that contributed to the rise of the progressive era?
The double-standard
What is the 16th amendment?
Granted congress power to tax income
What is the 17th amendment?
Provided for the direct election of U.S. senators
What is the 18th amendment?
Prohibited making, selling, or transporting alcohol
What is the 19th amendment?
Women’s suffrage
How did women get their voices heard without votes?
Women represented the american virtue, so they compelled the reform of all kinds of social institutions to promote positive liberty.
Author and main idea of “Responding to Market Weakness”
Fox and Pope
Clarify the primary ways markets “fail.” Consider the role and effectiveness of the government. See why markets as the primary model for all social institutions may have some drawbacks
What kind of liberty did the middle-class progressive women value?
Positive liberty
What era was the only time in American history when a group wholeheartedly embraced positive liberty and was successful in their reforms?
The progressive era
Negative liberty is “you’re not the boss of me”
Positive liberty is “______”
“It’s for your own good”
What are some ways that progressive women changed city/municipal laws for their own benefit focused on positive liberty?
Creating jobs for themselves (City manager, commissioners, etc)
Creating structure in the local society
Keeping the streets/cities clean so that all white people (even the lower class) would be made equal (middle class)
What are some ways that progressive women changed state laws for their own benefit focused on positive liberty?
Created a bunch of laws around voting and office-holding so that it would be easier for middle-class men to get into office
Jim Crow laws to focus on structure in the society
What are some ways that progressive women changed federal laws for their own benefit focused on positive liberty?
Mothers are now consumers who buy their food (instead of making it from raw goods) so they pass a bunch of laws regulating food
What are the 16-19th amendments?
Progressive income tax
Direct election of senators (instead of election by state legislature)
Prohibition
Women’s suffrage
What is the 21st amendment?
End of prohibition
What does EMPIRE stand for? What does it mean
Externalities
Monopoly
Public Goods
Imperfect Information
Recession/Depression
Economic Inequalities
Market weaknesses that the progressives want to fix
Why did government get much more involved in the economy after the second industrial revolution?
The economy was no longer centered on the home but was way bigger and broader. There were unforeseen problems they had to overcome.
What are externalities? What does the government do in response to externalities?
A third party not directly involved in an economic transaction receives benefits or costs from the transaction. Can be positive or negative
Positive: government subsidizes
Negative: government taxes
What is a monopoly?
When one group or firm captures enough of the market control or manipulation prices + there is a lack of competition in the market.
What are public goods?
A good or service that, if consumed by one individual, does not diminish the amount of that good or service that is available to others. People cannot be stopped from accessing the good. (Military is a big one, a light house is a simple example).
What is the free rider problem?
Someone who benefits from a good they did not pay for and do not contribute to. A market failure
What is imperfect imformation? What are some groups that fixed this
A market weakness in which the market prices of goods or services do not reflect their true cost or value due to the lack of complete or correct information. Groups like the FDA
What is recession?
When resources are left unused even though full employment of those resources would benefit society
What is Economic inequality? How does the government intervene
Unequal redistribution of income and wealth as a result of the market having no moral compass. The government intervenes with safety net programs like social security, medicare, and other social programs
How is Hirschmans analysis of commerce challenged by the realities of the progressive era?
Hirschman said that greed (self-interest) was the way for markets to progress because greed would be pitted against greed. But because there was a boom of so much greed all once, this led to a recession.
What is capital L Liberalism?
Originated as the name for those who embraced Roosevelt’s New Deal.
Who is Richard Hofstadter?
Taught for a long time at Columbia university, won 2 Pulitzer Prizes. Early defender of Liberalism
Who is Franklin D. Roosevelt?
President during great depression and WWII. He’s the reason we have the amendment of 2 term presidents. Somewhat responsible for the usage of terms liberalism and Liberalism
Author and main idea of “The Age of Reform”
Richard Hofstadter
Woodrow Wilson engaged in WWI with the goal of putting the world into a progressive era similar to the one that the U.S. was experiencing and thriving in. Wilson framed the war in such liberal ideas that when the war was lost, progressivism broke apart.
How did progressives feel about democracy? Why?
They had a somewhat ambiguous feeling.
They wanted to empower the working class so the upper 10 would be checked. They may not have agreed with everything about the working class (like their dirty dances lol) but they sympathized with the working class’s plight
But they also didn’t really trust elected politicians to make good decisions. So they invented something called the Administrative State (or law) which says they want people in power that know what they’re doing. This is what made groups like the FDA
Author and main idea of “Annual Message to Congress”
Franklin D. Roosevelt
He introduces positive liberty as attached to the big L Liberals. Also used the term liberals for the first time.
Why did progressives (aka middle class women) form a bunch of agencies to ensure the quality of products and foods in the market?
Women became consumers (not refiners like before the second industrial revolution). These organizations create rules that ensure the quality of products
Why is the administrative state (or administrative law) different from what was previously in place?
They are administrative bodies that regulate just about everything. These are led by people with expertise and experience who are NOT voted into power, but still can create “laws” that have to be followed. Regulation and expertise is now embraced
What happened to the government branches as a result of the progressive movement to create administrative states?
They tilted power towards the president as well as towards the federal government.
What was happening in Europe during the progressive era?
WWI wind up
Who was president during WWI? How did he frame the war?
Woodrow Wilson, a dedicated progressive. He tried to stay out of the war but didn’t succeed
Lofty, highly-moral tones. In the war, but not of the war. He wanted to demonstrate absolute self-mastery
What were Woodrow’s goals about fighting in WWi?
- Stamp out aristocratic governments around the world and replace them with democratic republics (democracies don’t fight each other)
- Break apart European empires in the interest of free trade
- Create a League of Nation that would act as a regulatory body for the world (progressive thing)
Use the american power to reshape the world for lasting peace from war
What was Wilson’s idea for the peace treaty after the war? How did it turn out?
He wants to reform the world order so that war would not happen. He was met with measured, clever, calculated opposition to his idea. There were too many issues that could not be controlled. He ultimately failed and that is what led to the second war
According to Hofstadter, what effect did the war have on progressivism?
It “broke” it. By pinning the war to the progressive values and language as well as moral idealism, when the war ended in a hollow victory progressivism shattered.
Who was the president elected to fix the depression? What was the name of his plan?
Franklin D. Roosevelt
The New Deal
What was the differences between progressives and new dealers?
Progressives were all about moral-standards
New dealers were all about healing the economy
What did Roosevelt call his new deal movement?
Liberalism
What are the four freedoms and where are they from?
- Speech and expression
- Worship God in your own way
- Freedom from want (government will provide for a minimum existence, which led to entitlements that are privileges but sometimes believed to be rights )
- Freedom from fear (especially for the marginalized)
The end of Roosevelt’s inaugural address
Author and main idea of “Letter from Birmingham Jail”
MLK jr
What did progressives generally think of segragation?
They supported it
What is the great migration?
The decades after the civil war that where african americans moved from the south to the north
While the north didn’t have legal segregation, what did the north have?
Racism which led to de facto segregation
Why did WWII jumpstart the effort to make good on the promises of the 14th amendment?
Because the military was also segregated, they needed to have black military leaders. This gave a lot of young black men leadership skills and the organizational skills needed to form a civil rights movement
What is civil disobedience or nonviolent direct action?
The method of protest taught by MLK
When Prof Madsen’s friend’s son was caught smoking weed, what did he say to his parents?
“There is no injustice in the violation of an injust law”
MLK four basic steps to nonviolent direct actions?
- Collect the facts to determine whether injustices exist (Is it just according to God?)
- Negotiation (Generality: unequal application of the law. Majority not compelled but minority compelled)
- Self-purification (
- Direct action
MLK believed a law should be tested to be just, what is that test?
- Is it in line with God’s law
- Generality (see below)
Just laws: a majority compels a minority to follow a law, and the majority also follows that law
Unjust law: a majority compels a minority to follow a law, but the majority does not follow that law - If there is injustice, you have a right to rebel (this relates to direct action)
Why does MLK say there is a need for negotiation?
In order for a change to happen there needs to be a discussion between the groups that are involved. This might also negate the need for action if a consensus is reached
How does MLK say to do the self-purification of civil disobedience?
Goal: draw a contrast between justice and law
The more pure the activists, the harder the oppressors find it to justify their oppression
How does MLK say to do the direct action in opposition to a clearly immoral law? How did Christ do this?
Goal: Create a clear moral distinction between the Rule of Law and the actual law
“One who breaks an unjust law must do so openly, lovingly, and with a willingness to accept the penalty”
You should violate the law, accept its consequences, and in the process of punishment a third party (not the oppressor or the oppressed) will see the absurdity of the law. This will compel the oppressor to change
Christ broke the absurd laws (like healing on the Sabbath) and accepted the consequences without protest. This largely discredited the law because they even imprisoned the best of us
In pragmatic terms, what is the goal of MLK’s civil right protests?
Put into doubt the laws of the land so that they would again be cast into inquiry
What did MLK’s movement come to be called (not civil rights movement)?
Racial liberalism
Does the civil rights act in positive or negative liberty?
Negative in terms of expression and equality
fHow did Howard Smith accidentally make a huge step for feminism?
He amended the civil rights act to include no discrimination on sex thinking that this would broaden the scope of the act so much that nobody would want to vote on it. The opposite happened
Randall Collins would add that when racist attitudes get challenged…
They often respond with an ironic and sad form of righteous anger
Author and main idea of “The Substance of Style”
Virginia Postrel
Discussion of consumerism. When we buy something we buy it’s function and what it represents to us
According to Postrel, what paradigm shift happened among the corporations after WWI?
The war led to highly efficient production lines. The fear of the corporations was that people would still consume only when needed, meaning that eventually they would stop buying. Their goal was to shift the american citizen’s to purchase by desire rather than by need.
How does Postrel say marketers get people to buy things even when they were irrelevant? What is the example from class?
By attaching meaning to something. This led consumers to buy the idea associated with a product and not just a product.
It was taboo for women to smoke. Produces associated women smoking with freedom by using the phrase “torches of freedom.” Then sales exploded because women supported the cause of freedom associated with smoking
According to Postrel, what idea remerged after WWII ended?
The consumerist idea
What is consumerism defined as (as used by Postrel)?
When you buy something you:
1. Consume its function (e.g. listen to the song, wear the shirt, drive the car)
2. You also consume its meaning (become a fan of a particular artist, display the logo on the shirt, display the car)
According to Postrel, when buying, the idea went from “I like that” to…
What does this mean?
“I’m like that”
Consumer culture led to a freedom of identity or freedom to express oneself. People believed that shopping=freedom=pleasure. This is because of the aesthetic value associated with products
What is Postrel’s selective conformity?
Within the large market, we choose what we consume or who we consume from due to the idea of the meanings associated with each brand. The culmination of what we consume defines our identity
What does Postrel is actually happening when someone rebels against conformity?
People just conform with the group who decides they are rebels. This is why people dress the same when they are “rebelling”
Author and main idea of “Free to choose”
Milton and Rose Freidman
Negative liberty in economic and social spheres in a very libertarian mindset. He also promotes the free market a LOT. In response to Liberalism, Freidman says that big L Liberalism wouldn’t actually accomplish its own goals of equality but an unrestrained free market would.
Define libertarian beliefs
Libertarians generally say John Locke, Adam Smith, and the Declaration of Independence got it entirely right. Negative liberty is best, positive liberty is dangerous. Progressives got everything wrong, and liberals get it wrong on the economy
What do libertarians believe about Liberals and progressives?
They started ok but took a wrong turn. Libertarians want to go back to what they were before
What is substantive equality sometimes called? What group supports this?
Equity
Equality of outcomes
“Cosmic” Justice
Liberals
What is formal equality? What group likes this?
Equality
Equality of opportunity
Traditional justice
Libertarians
what is the progressive income tax? How is it different from tithing?
If you make almost no money, you pay almost no taxes. If you make a lot of money, you pay a larger percentage of taxes
Tithing is the same for everybody, everybody pays 10%
Freidman says that little L “liberalsim” helped America develop a system of _________
Meritocracy
Leadership depends on performance, not family line
Freidman says that little L “liberalism” helped America become _________
Fabulously welathy
No country got as much out of the Second Industrial Revolution as the U.S.
What kind of equality is consistent with the Rule of Law?
Formal equality
The law applies equally to all and, importantly, is consistent with negative liberty
Freidman’s 4 reasons why the government is unjustified in applying economic fairness (substantive equality). These are common concerns of what?
- Equity has no clear definition
- Equity ignores human diversity (denies human nature)
- Equity rests on resentment of the successful (which hurts economic growth)
- Equity fails to achieve its goals
Common concerns of positive liberty
What is traditional justice v cosmic justice?
Tradition: Applying the same rules and standards to everybdoy
Cosmic: Trying to level the playing field so that there is an equality of outcome (no winning or losing)
How did Freidman see the top 10 differently from the progressives?
He saw the top 10 as great contributors to society, the heros. The progressives saw them as the villains
If libetarians do not believe the government should cut down the rich so that we are equal, do they believe the government should not do anything about poverty?
No, libertarians distinguish equality driven by resentment and helping those in distress. They want to help those in poverty
What do libertarians generally stand for?
Negative Liberty in everything
Formal equality
fewer drug laws
define your identity
No or little regulation of the economy
Free trade
Why did MLK write the Letter from Birmingham Jail?”
White evangelicals who were in the middle of the road as far as civil rights were supportive of MLK’s cause but wanted him to stop his actions and let time fix the situation. They wrote letters to him to tell him to wait.
His letter also outlined his method for non-violent campaigns
Does Pippin go for positive or negative liberty? Why?
Positive
“The only real form of genuine unfreedom or true slavery is ignorance; the only true form of freedom is wisdom, ultimately knowledge of what is best.”
What kind of liberty was pursued in the U.S. until the progressive movement?
Negative liberty
What are the two qualifications of public goods?
Non-rivalrous: Me following the light house doesn’t mean you can use it less
Non-exclusive: You can’t turn off the light house for those who haven’t paid for it
MLK said “________ anywhere is a threat to __________ everywhere”
“Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere”
what groups were the first and second waves of feminism?
First wave: Progressives
Second wave: NOW (National Organization for Women)
What were the main 5 points of Delong’s paper?
- Increase in economic growth
- A shift in what people did for work
- A demographic shift due to immigration
- Urbanization and appearance of the metropolis
- The emergence of the large corporation
What is the biggest differences between first and second wave femisnism?
First: Making reforms for people to become more like the virtuous women
Second: Women aspiring to become like the men in their economical opportunities
What is the biggest similarity of first and second wave feminism?
Women are more involved politically and seeking government intervention (which is positive liberty)
What wave of feminism was connected to Romer’s rule?
The first wave was focused on returning back to their way of life before the second industrial revolution. This is Romer’s rule. The second wave was changing to change
Author and Main idea of “Justice”
Sandel/Rawls (Use them as the same person!)
Rawls wants to think more about
“equality” as the central concern of the social contract, not freedom. To be a just society, it must be fundamentally fair. He wants to show how a rational
person would want a totally fair society. They teach the idea of the “veil of ignorance”
Sandel/Rawls fall under what political orientation?
Big L Liberal
What important question did Rawls pose?
If we could start over, what would a new social contract in the US look like?
How is Rawls similar and different from Hobbes/Locke?
Similar:
In the state of nature we are equal
Different:
He focuses on the EQUALITY and not freedom like the others
Rawls says “To be a _____ society, it must be fundamentally ______”
just, fair
Rawls says a rational person would not choose what kind of society? What does that mean?
Arbitrary
Our positions in life should not come from luck.
Our position in life should not be decided by others.
What 2 things does Rawls say are essential for a non-arbitrary social contract? What are the important examples to remember?
- Autonomy (I must freely choose a binding agreement. Important examples include squeegee men cleaning your car at a stop light without permission but expecting payment. Another is the car repairman briefly says the price and fixes the problem before the customer agrees to it.)
- Reciprocity (That is. all parties must do something beneficial to others. Important examples include a dad confirming his sons baseball card trades are fair and a plumber trying to charge 50k for a toilet repair)
What is Rawl’s “veil of ignorance?”
A situation that enables perfect initial equality. This is applied to Rawls designing a society where you would have NO IDEA of where you would end up in the society. This is just like the pre-existence, we had no idea of what we would become during this life. This is a principle to design a very free society
What is Rawl’s difference principle?
Basically, we would want more people working to cure cancer than making prank videos. Income and wealth is an appropriate motivator for people to work in a higher station IF that station benefits the least advantaged of society
What are the two principles of justice as fairness?
- Each person has access to a fully adequate scheme of equal basic liberties which is compatible with a similar scheme of liberties for all.
- Social and economic inequalities are to be arranged so that they are both a. to the greatest benefit of the least advantaged b. attached to offices and positions open to all under conditions of fair equality of opportunity
What does Rawls see should happen to inheritance?
No more inheritance. You shouldn’t benefit from being lucky enough to be born into a rich family
Speaking of inheritance, what do Rawls and Freidman say is the only fair way to say nobody should inherit monetary inheritance?
They should not receive talents either, otherwise it is getting rid of monetary inheritance and not talent/hereditary inhertiance
What is meritocratic hubris? Who talked about it?
People who are on top of society believe they belong there, but this also says that those on the bottom belong on the bottom. This leads to pride and anger
Rawls/Sandel
What do libertarians (Friedman) say about people earning profits? How did Rawls approach this?
If nobody earned profits, they would not be motivated to invent good things
He want to help inventors and entrepreneurs to see their products as “community” property
What do Rawls/Sandel say in response to the argument that working harder should yield greater results?
Even the effort that some people expend depends a lot on fortunate family circumstances for which we can claim no credit
Friedman says that life will always be somewhat unfair, what do Rawls/Sandel say to that?
No. They reject meritocracy and inequality. These should always be corrected
Author and main idea of “Freedom, tradition, and Conservative Disposition”
Yuval Levin
We need social institutions to teach us how to use our freedoms effectively. Tradition is also very important to make/keep us a moral people.
Author and main idea of “The Rediscovery of Civil Society”
Matthew Continetti
Reagan conservatives are typically anti-government because they see that bureaucratic institutions do not effectively teach positive liberty to their members. They prefer organic, voluntary civic associations because those are effective in changing their members for the better., similar to the view of Tocqueville. The large safety net of the country disincentivizes large, extended, and intact families
Author and main idea of “Trump or Reagan”
Dace Potas
Post-liberalism
Trump conservatives reject the idea that government should be limited. Government should be expanded for conservative ideas. They see government as a solution as it enforces conservative solutions. Reagan conservatives see civil associations as the solution
What’s the difference between Reagan and Trump (post-liberal) conservatives?
Reagan conservatives think government is the problem. Post-liberal conservatives think government is the solution
What are some questions that conservatives started to ask in the 1960’s?
If the emphasis on expression means the separation of church and state, is that always a good idea?
If the entitlement of the American money is a good thing, why are people not happy when they have it?
Is there a danger that the Administrative State will simply “bureaucratize” more and more of life through agencies, programs, and initiatives?
Maybe the Administrative State doesn’t always make the best decisions for the people
What do Reagan conservatives believe Liberalism creates?
A vicious circle that destroys civic associations (like Alexis de Tocqueville says)
1. Government solves social problems bureaucratically, not socially
2. This makes me feel alienated
3. But Liberalism tells me I should solve my alienation through more government programs
4. Which makes me feel even more alienated
Civic associations are the way to create a moral and healthy society
What do reagan conservatives believe about civic associations? What is this an example of?
They are the social glue that holds the country together.
More importantly, they teach us how to use our freedom constructively.
Social institutions should teach us how to expand our capacities in a way that aids society instead of breaking it apart.
Positive liberty
Conservatives believe that the more _____ a change is, the more _______ the problems will be
Radical
What is meant when conservatives say that Liberals create the neurosis they seek to solve?
Liberals believe that money should come first so that you have time for family, religion, patriotism, etc. But If you see that someone has more than you, like a porsche, then it will drive you crazy that someone has something that you don’t.
According to Continetti, what must an advocate for civil society do?
- Balance an appreciation toward intermediary institutions while knowing not all are voluntary or (little l) liberal
- Understanding the value of government and society and how to positively influence them
- Prioritize family, religion, and neighborhoods and shelter these institutions
How does President Oaks say we should treat the Constitution?
“As latter-day saints we have a unique responsibility to uphold and defend the United States Constitution and constitutionalism”
What are the 5 divinely inspired principles discussed by President Oaks
- Power comes from the people (Popular sovereignty)
- Separation between federal and state power (federalism)
- Checks and balances
- Rights
- Rule of Law
Liberal (big L) figures
FDR
Postrel (kind of. You choose what to buy as a sort of expression)
Sandel/Rawls
Hofstadter
MLK
Conservative figures
Yuval Levin
Dace Potas
Continetti
liberal (little l)/ libertarian figures
John Locke
Friedman
Progressive Figures
Woodrow Wilson
Author and main idea of “Port Huron Statement” and where was it written?
SDS (Students for a democratic society)
Written in Michigan
The young students described what they believed the future of the society should look like. The two main problems address were racial segregation despite the widespread attages of american freedom, and the constant state of fear during the cold war that a person far away could at any time destroy the United States. They said that the individual should be free to be their authentic self
Who was SDS?
Student radical leftist who fought for civil rights and opposed the Vietnam War in 1960’s
Who’s Tom Hayden?
SDS President
What did the 1960’s students see differently about politics? What are 3 reasons for this?
Politics should have involved a lot of identity issues (not problems just things)
- They wanted to be taken seriously despite their youth (Their parents had the mindset “We’ve gone through a lot, what do you know?”)
- They felt very constrained by American culture (“The Rules”)
- They had already seen how consumerism created a space for new cultural identities (Generational cohorts like Genx and Genz. This gives each generation a “new perspective” that others didn’t have so they could finally be listened to)
What are the two central concerns of the Port Huron Statement?
- We grew up hearing about the freedom and equality of the U.S., but we don’t see that (the students were part of the Civil Rights movement)
- The Cold War threats kept the constant thought that some man far away and unconnected from you could end all life.
What is meant by the “New Left?”
The SDS wanted to create a new kind of politics. “The goal of man and society should be human independence: a concern not with image of popularity but with finding a meaning in life that is personally authentic.”
“The goal of man and society should be human independence: a concern not with image of popularity but with finding a meaning in life that is personally authentic.”
- What does this mean?
- What kind of political movement follows from this demand?
- I can be what feels right to me
- The goal of society should be to help me in being my authentic self. Make values explicit, challenge those we think are wrong, support those we think are right
Did the new left support culture or politics more?
Culture
What does “if you can act it out, it’s real” mean? Why is this important?
If you start acting a certain way, you make that a real part of your culture and provoke the existing culture
Because “acting it out” can also have a negative meaning, “acting out” their wanted culture made the SDS immediately relevant
What two social institutions did the SDS want to dominate? Why?
Media and education
These two have the most direct impact on culture. Since they wanted to reform culture these two were the most effective tools to use for reform
The SDS believed that to change people’s values, you had to change their ___________. This led to people seeking what?
consciousness
People sought for all kinds of ways to change perception (like lots of drugs)
What were the two biggest drives of the counter culture?
Happiness and Love
How did the counter-culture redefine tolerance? Who did they take this idea from?
I now have an obligation to like and promote your unique identity, it doesn’t matter how I feel about it. They took this idea from Locke
What is the biggest impact the counter culture had on modern culture?
Each of us is unique and valuable for no other reason than for our authentic self. Society should accept your authentic identity in its uniqueness
The teens of the 1960’s believed that the focus on being your most authentic self is positive liberty minded, why?
The Lockean idea of freedom includes tolerance of what others want to be. But they wanted intervention to help someone be their most authentic self and conscious acceptance of them. If someone’s true self is living in the park and eating free food, we should help them (this is the video of the students having soup stands in the parl because there were people who thought free food helped them be their own true selves)
Are identity politics positive liberty minded, negative liberty minded, or both?
Positive Liberty minded
How do traditional politics create change versus the student activists of the 60’s?
Traditional politics focused on controlling the media, religion, education, economy, and government institutions in order to reach a change in the culture. Student activists targeted changing the culture to change the social institutions. The activists also targeted media and universities because these led to the greatest change in culture the quickest
What is the main idea of the Redstockings Manifesto?
Because we have lived so intimately with our oppressors, in isolation from each other, we have been kept from seeing our personal suffering as a political condition. This promoted women to be thought of as a class or a group with men as the oppressors. All men are supremacist and have suppressed women.
Author and main idea of “The Personal is Political”
Carol Hanisch
Personal problems ARE political problems. Women did not like ironing, but someone decided that it was normal for women, and then convinced the women it was normal, and all types of these things happened because they were women. This was not just a cultural expectation but a power dynamic. Women were to “act out” the kind of cultural expectation they prefer, but recognize that acting out may create a lot of resistance. This was POLITICAL. They concluded that all men are oppressors and to uncover implicit bias through female consciousness
Both Carol Hanisch and Redstockings are part of what group?
Radical feminists
Both Carol Hanisch and Redstockings are part of what group?
Radical feminists
What is the difference between the positive liberty of the big L Liberals and the identity politics?
L: Positive liberty for welfare and entitlements for equity and social cohesion
IP: Positive liberty in accepting all people for who they are as they authentically are
What did the group that fought for identity politics feel about government?
They saw that the government was too weak to make a big difference. They became deeply cynical of government and even more so after the Vietnam War
How did the Civil Rights leaders feel about the Vietnam War?
Why would they be fighting for equal rights for those abroad if they didn’t have it at home
The student radicals felt that the federal government sends people to die in mistaken wars, what conclusions did they draw from this?
We cannot trust government
We need to become more aggressive in confronting a culture that fights senseless wars
Why did the hard hat riot happen?
The SDS was trying its best to attack the American culture, especially through protesting the Vietnam War. The construction workers responded in righteous anger, as Randall Collins would put it
What produced the Personal is Political article?
Within the SDS, the female activists started to see themselves in conflict with the male activists. The males said that the women were trying to bring their personal lives into the public arena. Issues like body issues, sex, appearance, abortion, shared housework, childcare, The men did not want to talk about this stuff
According to Collins, why did radical feminism experience so much resistance?
Because we treat the mundane as “sacred,” change is hard. We tend to react to violations of even trivial norms as if the violator has committed an extraordinary insensitivity
What are two unique arguments about oppression in the Redstockings Manifesto?
- It sees oppression happening within (intimate) relationships
- Its “class” or “group” based approach easily translates into other things
At its heart, what were the Identity Politics movements?
An approach to uncovering the implicit bias in cultural production. Particularly in media. What might today be called “woke.”
In what four words would Identity Politics call American Heritage?
“It’s all a lie”
What does the Redstockings Manifesto say about old ideologies or writings?
They are all products of male supremacist culture and cannot accept them
Would the identity politics groups ever promote change through legislation?
No, they seek reform through culture
How would libertarians agree/disagree with identity politics?
Promote the value of authentic individuality. Disagree with substantive equality
How do identity politics promote substantive equality?
Give minorities a head start so they will finish the race at the same time as others
Why do conservatives disagree with identity politics?
Identity politics are rooted in changing the culture, and the conservatives really value tradition. They are very opposed to each other
How do Liberals think of the identity politics?
Identity politics have pulled Liberals closer to their views so there can sometimes be a gray area in distinguishing the two
What two groups did Potas distinguish in his reading?
Trump and Reagan conservatives
Author and main idea of “Statement of Purpose”
NOW (National organizations for women)
Government reforms needed to give women more freedom. Libertarian. Wants women to be involved economically and politically
How did the Redstockings and Carol Hanisch further the idea of the SDS?
The SDS stated their ideas in terms of the individual, but the Redstockings and Hanisch took these ideas and put them into groups. From the authentic self to women being free to do what they want
Author and main idea of “Identity Trap”
Yascha Mounk
Critiques the strengths and weaknesses of identity politics
What are the two camps of identity politics according to Mounk?
- We accept learning about identity politics so that we can further our political survival
- It is evil and we need to get rid of it
According to Mounk’s ideas, what moral foundation leads one to lean into identity politics?
Fair/unfair
According to Mounk, identity politics sees the country failing to reach its ideals because…
The ideals themselves are flawed. No matter how perfect the ideals seem, there will always be groups left out (Think about the wording of ALL in the constitution that disincluded women, blacks, indigenous, etc.). This is why identity politics eventually identified groups that define every interaction
What is Mounk teaching when he uses the term “relative social power?”
No matter who or where, every interaction has an interaction of social power. This is why there is oppression everywhere. Identity politics aim to reveal and counteract this social power
Identity politics say that oppression and political confrontation happens on what level almost constantly?
Person-to-person interactions (Think about Redstockings saying EVERY man is an oppressor)
What are some of Mounk’s criticisms of identity politics
- It is dismissive of alternative views. Any other argument is a smokescreen of oppression to them. This leaves no space for argument, discussion, councils, etc.
- When people attach their political views to their identity, then when their views are challenged it feels as though you are challenging their identity and being. (The single dimension)
- To build a more just world, we should strive to live up to our ideals and aspirations rather than abandoning them like the identity politics want to do
- Identity politics can make us “sterile”
What turns positive liberty into tyranny?
If coercion does not in fact lead to more freedom or equality
What does Mounk mean when he says that identity politics can make us “sterile?”
It can prevent us from enjoying the many things that make us human (such as creativity, emotional connection, or emotional peace)
Author and main idea of “Science as a Vocation”
Weber (Pronounced Vabar)
There is a clear distinction between values and facts. Teachers should NOT put values onto their students, they should put facts onto you. He says that teachers are to impartially present “inconvenient” facts that will challenge the views and values of students so that students will make more informed decisions about what values they hold and pursue.
Who does Weber (Vabar) agree the most with?
Pippin
According to Weber, can personal values and full fact coexist?
no
According to Weber, what is the point of a teacher?
To impartially present inconvenient facts that will challenge their students. This will encourage students to more critically evaluate their own values and what it would take to fulfill that ideal on a grand scheme, and if they think that effort would be worth it.
According to Weber, what are the differences between values and facts?
Facts do not change, but values can. We should base our values on facts
Weber (Vabar) says that science contributes to “life” is 3 ways. What are they?
- Science continues society (inconvenient facts push us to further learning, thinking, and innovation)
- Methods of thinking (the tools and training for thought)
- Gain clarity
Who is considered the father of sociology?
Max Weber (Vabar)
In Weber’s reading, what is meant by the term vocation?
Your calling
Does Weber believe that facts can answer all major questions?
No, we need values to be able to answer life’s questions
What are the three goals of a classroom according to Weber?
- Teachers share inconvenient facts
- Teachers help students match means to ends
- Teachers offer a cost-benefit analysis
Author and main idea of “What if We Wrote the Constitution Today?”
Jeffrey Rosen
He asked a bunch of scholars from different backgrounds (except identity politics) to rewrite the Constitution. He gave them permission to change whatever they would like. To his surprise, almost everything remained the same as they kept amendments, checks and balances, and truly did it the same way James Madison did.
In Rosen’s activity, what did the Liberals want to reform?
A new formula for making the senate more representative
In Rosen’s activity, what did the libertarians want to reform?
More liberty! Father liberalism is their focus
In Rosen’s activity, what did the conservatives want to reform?
They want to further skim the nation’s representatives by making the senate smaller. This would get better people into power to make the country better through better deliberation
In Rosen’s activity, what topic did the three groups converge on?
They want to restrict power given to the administrative state (and the president, I think)
How do Trump conservatives and Reagan conservatives seek positive liberty differently?
Trump conservatives want intervention from the government
Reagan conservatives want interventions from civic institutions
How do identity politics and conservatives see traditions differently?
Identity politics see them as bad and restrictive. Conservatives see them as essential in keeping us a moral people.
What are other names for Reagan and Trump conservatives
Classical conservatism
Post-liberal conservatism
Are conservatives or libertarians more individualistic?
Libertarians
What author came up with the idea of the difference principle?
Sandel/Rawls
The administrative state started with which president?
FDR
What are the mandate and independent views?
Mandate: Representatives are direct representation of us
independent: Representatives are their own people we trust to make decisions in line with what we want
Mounk is describing what and what from perspective?
Identity politics from the little l liberalism perspective
