Shared Flashcard Set

Details

POS 210
test 1
26
Political Studies
Undergraduate 2
02/11/2008

Additional Political Studies Flashcards

 


 

Cards

Term
ideology
Definition
explanation, evaluation, orientation, political program
Term
freedom
Definition
agent, barrier, aim
Term
social democracy
Definition
a view that democracy requires a rough equality of power or influence for every citizen, which may require, in turn, the redistribution of wealth and/or the social control of resources and property.
Term
classical liberalism
Definition
the belief that government is a necessary evil that should do nothing but protect the persons and property of its citizens.
Term
libertarianism
Definition
generally, the desire to expand the realm of individual liberty. Specifically libertarian is another name for neoclassical liberals, who argue that the only legitimate power of government is to protect the persons and property of its citizen.
Term
positive liberty
Definition
the belief that freedom is not simply the absence of restraint but also the power or ability to act to develop one's capacities.
Term
anarchism
Definition
a term from the greek an arcos, meaning "no rule" or "no government". Anarchism aims to abolish the state, replacing political relations with cooperative or voluntary ones.
Term
libertarian anarchism
Definition
belief that all governments are illegitimate and immoral.
Term
state of nature
Definition
in the theories of Thomas Hobbes, John locke, and Robert Nozick, among others, the condition in which people live before they create society and government. Everyone is free and equal in this state, and no one has authority over anyone else.
Term
revolution
Definition
a sweeping or fundamental transformation of a society. Originally used to describe an attempt to restore or revolve back to a previous condition, the word acquired its present meaning with the French revolution.
Term
religious conformity
Definition
the policy of requiring everyone in society to follow or acknowledge the same religious beliefs.
Term
welfare state
Definition
a form of liberalism that regards government as a tool to be used to promote individual freedom, welfare, and equality of opportunity.
Term
social darwinism
Definition
belief in applying Darwins theory of evolution to social and political life, concluding that the struggle for survival between individuals is a natural feature of human life and government should not intervene.
Term
paternalism
Definition
belief and/or fear that the state could prevent an unpopular viewpoint or silince that person.
Term
mercantalism
Definition
the economic policy of promoting a country's wealth at the expence of others by establishing monopolies and regulating foreign trade to favor domestic industry.
Term
capitalism
Definition
an economic system in which the major means of production are privately owned and operated for the profit of the owners or investors.
Term
achieved status
Definition
the condition of earning one's place in society through effort and ability.
Term
natural right
Definition
a right that everyone has simply by virtue of being human. such a right can neither be granted or taken away by any person or political authority.
Term
liberal democracy
Definition
an emphasis on the importance of individual rights and liberty, including the right to own private property.
Term
people's democracy
Definition
favored by Marxist-Leninist, the view that democracy is government by the communist party in the interests of the working class.
Term
negative liberty
Definition
the absence of restraint. you are free, in this view, if no one else is preventing you from doing what you want to do.
Term
utilitarianism
Definition
the view that individuals and governments should always act to promote utility or, in Jeremy Bentham's terms, the greatest happiness of the greatest number.
Term
harm principle
Definition
the priciple, defended by JS Mill and others, that we should be allowed to do whatever we want unless our actions harm or threaten to harm others.
Term
ascribed status
Definition
a person's being born into a particular social status such as a noble or serf, with little opportunity either to raise or lower his/her social standing.
Term
social contract
Definition
an agreement to form political societies and establish governments, thus creating political authority. how do some people acquire authority over others? some theorists such as Thomas Hobbes and John Locke, have answered that individuals in a state of nature have in some way entered into a social contract.
Supporting users have an ad free experience!