Plato, The Republic, Answer two (2) questions from Section A and one (1) question from Section B

Answer two (2) questions from Section A and one (1) question from Section B

The questions refer to thinkers studied in the second term and are designed to assess your understanding of the ideas they discuss. You are free to consult the primary texts you have read . Please refrain from consulting any secondary sources including internet sources that have not been assigned for this course when preparing your answers. Any evidence of borrowing or plagiarism will result in penalties.

You need not include direct quotes from the primary texts in your answers. If you do, simply cite the theorist and the work you are drawing from along with the page number of the quote or close paraphrase.

Answers should be typed, preferably in Word, in 12-point font, double-spaced, with one-inch margins. (If you are using Word, you can calculate the word count of your answers by going to the ribbon at the top of the page and selecting “Review”. From the options that appear, select “Word Count” at the bottom left-hand corner.)

Section A: Answer two of the following questions (each question is worth 25 marks and should be in the 500-700 word range)

John Locke is often regarded as the first political theorist to offer a coherent argument for limited government. How does he arrive at his conclusion that governmental powers must be limited, and what kinds of limitations would he place on such powers?

In his Social Contract, Jean Jacques Rousseau proposes to solve the riddle of how humans can unite with others in a political society yet still be free. His solution to this riddle is the General Will. Explain how Rousseau sees the General Will as that which makes freedom possible in political society.

While Rousseau insists in the Social Contract that a properly constituted state confers on its citizens genuine civic freedom, he also speaks of the need for a Legislator to create the conditions that make such civic freedom possible and recommends the establishment both of a Censor and a Civil Religion to ensure that a suitable civic spirit is maintained. His argument for how to generate civic freedom is based on the democratic ideal of citizen participation in their own self-rule. His argument for the need for a Legislator, a Censor and a Civil Religion, on the other hand, suggest that an external authority is necessary to fashion the just society he envisages. Can the democratic Rousseau be reconciled with what seems to be an authoritarian Rousseau?

In his book On Liberty, John Stuart Mill famously argues that “the only purpose for which power can be rightfully exercised over any member of a civilised community, against his will, is to prevent harm to others.” While this formula for personal liberty seems clear enough, it raises the question of what constitutes “harm to others.” How does Mill attempt to define “harm to others”?

In the Communist Manifesto, Marx and Engels describe capitalism as being both a progressive historical development and one which entails “brutal exploitation.” Explain in some detail how they come to view capitalism as both progressive and oppressive.

Section B: Answer one of the following questions (answer is worth 50 marks and should be in the 700-900 word range)

Liberalism historically has stressed liberty and equality as the two prime political values that contribute to a just political society. Compare and contrast the ways in which Locke and Rousseau treat these political values in their respective works. Which of the two theorists makes the more compelling argument in your view?

Locke in his Letter on Toleration and J.S. Mill in his On Liberty provide seminal arguments in favour of individual liberty. In Locke’s case, the argument is directed at freedom of conscience in religious matters. In Mill’s case, the argument is directed more generally at freedom of thought and personal behaviour. Compare and contrast the approach each author takes to the question of individual liberty, taking into account their respective views on what poses the greatest threat to individual liberty and their justifications for why individual liberty is a value that needs to be defended.

Both Rousseau in his Discourse on the Origins of Inequality and Marx in his essay on Alienated Labour deal with the idea that humans are separated from that which could be said to be their essential being. Compare and contrast how these two thinkers approached this notion of “alienation” and critically analyse their respective solutions.

In his Second Treatise of Government, Locke makes the case that humans are endowed with natural rights that are converted into political rights with the establishment of limited government. Marx, in his On the Jewish Question, claims that liberal rights are an illusory mask that obscures what actually takes place in capitalism. Critically assess Marx’s critique of liberal rights, paying attention to how such rights are conceived by Locke.