Political Philosophy

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Political Philosophy
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Key Questions

• Of Governmental legitimacy Law
• Of Power Influence
• Of Justice
• Of Freedom
• Of Rights
• Of Public Interest

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What is Political Philosophy?

• Study of relationship between individuals and
  society.
• Answers to questions previously raised and how
  these answers weave together to form various
  communities.
• Overarching question concerns whether some
  communities are more ideal than others.
• How are we to live?"
• See Lawhead p. 545

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IntroductionThought Experiment Authority vs.
Power

• In each pair of the following scenarios, similar
  actions are being performed. In each case, how
  does situation (a) differ from situation (b)?

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Forced to give up money

• You fill out your federal income tax form and
  find that you owe the government 1,000. You
  write out a check for this amount, knowing that
  if you do not pay the government what it demands
  of you, the penalties will be severe.
• While you are walking home at night, a robber
  with a gun steps out of the shadows and demands
  all of the money in your wallet. You hand the
  money over, knowing that the consequences of not
  doing so will be severe.

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The wrongdoer is punished

• In a criminal trial, a judge determines that the
  defendant is guilty of fraud and sentences
  her/him to several years in prison.
• You decide that the saleswoman who sold you a
  defective car is guilty of fraud and so you
  forcibly lock her up in your basement for several
  years.

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Someone is being forced to fight for a cause

• During a time of international crisis, your best
  friend is drafted into the army to fight for the
  countrys interests. He does not particularly
  want to go to war but is forced to do so by the
  government.
• You are having a dispute with your neighbor
  concerning the damage that the neighbors dog did
  to your garden. At gunpoint, you force your
  unwilling friend to attack the neighbor for you.

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Questions concerning the Legitimacy of Government

• What does it mean to have legitimate authority to
  control or regulate the behavior of others?
• How does legitimate authority differ from simply
  having power?

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Key Terms

• Power
• Ability to compel, either through the use of
  threat or force.
• Authority
• Having the power and the right to use power in
  certain specified ways.
• The right to command and the right to be obeyed.