mills pateman

Question 1

What does liberal political theory emphasize?

Answer 1

Liberal political theory emphasizes individualism, moral equality, the rule of law, and the idea that everyone is free and equal, regardless of sex or race.

Question 2

What critique do Pateman and Mills offer of liberal political theory?

Answer 2

They argue that liberalism masks existing power structures and disadvantages women and non-white people, undermining its claims of universal equality.

Question 3

What is the sexual contract, according to Carole Pateman?

Answer 3

The sexual contract is a prior agreement that gives men political rights over women and their bodies, legitimating male dominance in public and private spheres.

Question 4

How does the concept of the “human” in social contract theory disadvantage women?

Answer 4

It is formulated in male-centric terms, establishing a framework that excludes and subordinates women.

Question 5

How does Pateman explain the persistence of female subordination?

Answer 5

She suggests institutions of female subordination existed before liberal politics and were integrated into the social contract.

Question 6

What examples of resistance to the sexual contract are mentioned?

Answer 6

Historical figures like Mary Wollstonecraft and Olympe de Gouges challenged the male-dominated order.

Question 7

What is the racial contract, according to Charles Mills?

Answer 7

The racial contract is an agreement among white people to enforce white supremacy, creating divisions between “persons” (white individuals) and “subpersons” (racial minorities).

Question 8

How does the racial contract explain the creation of modern society?

Answer 8

It outlines how society was built through European colonialism, expropriation, slavery, and material exploitation of non-white people.

Question 9

What are the three subcontracts within the racial contract?

Answer 9

The expropriation contract, the slavery contract, and the colonial contract.

Question 10

What historical example illustrates the slavery contract?

Answer 10

The Dred Scott decision, which denied citizenship to African Americans, exemplifies the slavery contract.

Question 11

How does the racial contract persist in contemporary society?

Answer 11

Through unequal opportunities, segregation, material exploitation, and “white ignorance” that sustains racial inequalities.

Question 12

What is “white ignorance”?

Answer 12

The collective agreement to misinterpret the world to uphold the racial contract, creating blind spots in political philosophy.

Question 13

How does Mills critique “ideal theory”?

Answer 13

Ideal theory focuses on abstract principles, ignoring real-world historical and social injustices, thereby maintaining the racial contract.

Question 14

How do the sexual and racial contracts challenge the idea of the social contract?

Answer 14

They reveal the social contract as historically and structurally biased, creating hierarchies of domination rather than fostering true equality.

Question 15

How do Pateman and Mills’ theories connect?

Answer 15

Both argue that the social contract sustains systems of domination—patriarchy in the sexual contract and white supremacy in the racial contract.

Question 16

What is the difference between “persons” and “subpersons” in the racial contract?

Answer 16

“Persons” are white individuals with full rights, while “subpersons” are racial minorities considered inferior and denied equal status.

Question 17

What role does individualism play in liberal theory, and how is it critiqued?

Answer 17

Individualism is a core tenet of liberalism, but it is critiqued for ignoring structural inequalities and masking power dynamics.

Question 18

What is moral equality, and how is it challenged by Pateman and Mills?

Answer 18

Moral equality is the principle of equal moral worth in liberalism, challenged by the reality of gendered and racial hierarchies in society.

Question 19

What does Pateman argue about the relationship between marriage and the sexual contract?

Answer 19

Marriage is an institution that exemplifies male dominance and the subordination of women, rooted in the sexual contract.

Question 20

How does colonialism relate to the racial contract?

Answer 20

Colonialism, described as a “gift” of order and progress, was in reality a brutal and exploitative consolidation of white supremacy.

Question 21

How does Mills argue that white people benefit from the racial contract?

Answer 21

All white people benefit from the racial contract, even if they are not explicit signatories, due to systemic advantages in material and social conditions.

Question 22

What critical terms are central to Pateman and Mills’ theories?

Answer 22

Social contract,sexual contract,racial contract,individualism,moral equality,patriarchy,white supremacy,persons/subpersons,white ignorance, andideal theory.

Question 23

What is the role of epistemology in maintaining the sexual and racial contracts?

Answer 23

Political and moral epistemology supports these contracts by obscuring their realities and legitimating domination and subordination.

Question 24

How does the critique of “moral egalitarianism” relate to Pateman and Mills’ theories?

Answer 24

It contrasts the ideal of universal equality in liberalism with the practical exclusion and domination within the sexual and racial contracts.