political-philosophy

| Question | Issue |

|----------|-------|

| Why obey the state? | Political obligation |

| What is justice? | Distributive principles |

| What are rights? | Nature and basis of rights |

| What is freedom? | Liberty, positive/negative |

| Who should rule? | Democratic theory |

---

Social Contract Theories

```

SOCIAL CONTRACT TRADITION

═════════════════════════

HOBBES (1588-1679)

├── State of nature: War of all against all

├── Life: "Solitary, poor, nasty, brutish, short"

├── Contract: Give up freedom for security

└── Result: Absolute sovereign (Leviathan)

LOCKE (1632-1704)

├── State of nature: Peace with inconveniences

├── Natural rights: Life, liberty, property

├── Contract: Limited government to protect rights

└── Result: Liberal constitutional state

ROUSSEAU (1712-1778)

├── State of nature: Noble savage, corrupted by society

├── Problem: How to be free yet bound by law?

├── Solution: General will (not will of all)

└── Result: Direct democracy, civic virtue

```

Contemporary Social Contract

Rawls: Hypothetical contract behind veil of ignorance

Gauthier: Bargaining among rational self-interested agents

Scanlon: Principles no one could reasonably reject

---

Rawls's Theory

```

RAWLSIAN JUSTICE

════════════════

ORIGINAL POSITION

├── Hypothetical choice situation

├── Veil of ignorance: Don't know your place

├── Rational, self-interested choosers

└── What principles would you choose?

TWO PRINCIPLES

1. LIBERTY PRINCIPLE

└── Equal basic liberties for all

└── Speech, conscience, association, etc.

1. DIFFERENCE PRINCIPLE

└── Inequalities only if they benefit worst-off

└── With fair equality of opportunity

PRIORITY:

Liberty > Fair opportunity > Difference principle

```

Alternative Theories

| Theory | Key Thinker | Principle |

|--------|-------------|-----------|

| Utilitarianism | Mill | Maximize total welfare |

| Libertarianism | Nozick | Minimal state, property rights |

| Communitarianism | Sandel, MacIntyre | Community shapes justice |

| Capabilities | Sen, Nussbaum | Ensure capabilities for all |

Nozick's Entitlement Theory

```

LIBERTARIAN JUSTICE

═══════════════════

JUSTICE IN ACQUISITION

├── How did you originally get it?

└── Must be legitimate

JUSTICE IN TRANSFER

├── Voluntary exchange

└── Gift, sale, etc.

RECTIFICATION

├── Correct past injustices

└── Compensation, restitution

MINIMAL STATE

├── Only protection services

├── No redistribution

└── "Taxation is forced labor"

```

---

Negative vs. Positive Freedom

Negative (Berlin): Freedom FROM interference

• You're free if no one stops you
• Liberal tradition

Positive: Freedom TO achieve goals

• You're free if you can realize your potential
• May require resources, support

Republican Liberty

Non-Domination (Pettit):

• Freedom as absence of arbitrary power over you
• Not just non-interference
• Slave with kind master is still unfree

---

Nature of Rights

Natural Rights: Pre-political, inherent in persons

Legal Rights: Created by law, conventional

Moral Rights: May or may not be legal

Rights as Trumps (Dworkin)

Rights override utilitarian calculations

Individual rights > Collective good

Will Theory vs. Interest Theory

Will Theory: Rights protect choices

Interest Theory: Rights protect interests

---

Justifications

| Justification | Claim |

|---------------|-------|

| Intrinsic | Democratic participation is valuable in itself |

| Instrumental | Democracy produces best outcomes |

| Epistemic | Collective wisdom (Condorcet) |

| Procedural | Fair procedure regardless of outcome |

Problems

• Tyranny of majority
• Voter ignorance
• Special interests
• Minority rights

---

Liberty vs. Equality

• Trade-off or compatible?
• Economic liberty vs. economic equality
• Formal vs. substantive equality

Individual vs. Community

• Liberal: Individual prior to community
• Communitarian: Community shapes individuals
• Identity, tradition, solidarity

Multiculturalism

• Cultural rights
• Recognition
• Integration vs. assimilation

---

| Term | Meaning |

|------|---------|

| Legitimacy | Rightful authority |

| Sovereignty | Supreme power |

| Social contract | Agreement creating state |

| General will | Common good (Rousseau) |

| Veil of ignorance | Not knowing one's place |

| Difference principle | Benefit worst-off |

| Negative liberty | Freedom from interference |

| Positive liberty | Freedom to achieve |

| Natural rights | Pre-political rights |

| Distributive justice | Fair distribution |

---

Related Themes

• thoughts/morality/: Justice, rights
• thoughts/free_will/: Political freedom