Social and Poli+cal Philosophy About Philosophy Chapter 6 U+litarianism Review •  Only good in the world is pleasure, the only evil is pain •  Bentham’s u+litarianism helped create a democra+c philosophy –  All pleasures seen as equal –  All people equally qualified to determine what was good •  Educa+on the key –  Can free people from poli+cal and religious dogma of the past –  Introduced the facts of science and society to the majority Laissez-­‐Faire Economics •  Adam Smith: ScoNsh, 1723-­‐1790, Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of the Na5ons, laid the theore+cally basis of laissez-­‐faire economics –  Laissez-­‐Faire-­‐economic system of free market exchange unfeVered by government regula+on or intrusion –  Mercan+le-­‐economic system that focuses on the ac+vi+es of merchants and emphasizes the importance of a favorable trade balance –  Entrepreneur-­‐economic agent who takes on both the full risks and rewards of his commercial ac+vi+es •  Laissez-­‐Faire Capitalism and U+litarianism –  Consumers buy goods to sa+sfy desires –  Capitalists make a profit by making consumers happy –  Invisible Hand-­‐term coined by Adam Smith, indicates that the market exchange economic system leads to posi+ve ordered outcomes for an en+re economy even though each individual actor seeks only his own ends John Stuart Mill •
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English, 1806-­‐1873 Father, James Mill, was a philosopher and friend of Jeremy Bentham Raised to be a defender of u+litarianism U5litarianism; Principles of Poli5cal Economy Rejected three principles of Bentham’s u+litarianism –  Believed that some pleasures were “higher” than others –  Believed that the behavior of individuals in a capitalist system may be predictable, but not calculable –  Agreed laissez-­‐faire should be the general prac+ce, but allows for departure if “…required by some great good…” •  Liberal –  The Mills and Bentham saw themselves as liberals –  Liberal, comes from La+n for “to set free” –  18th and 19th Century Liberals cri+cized the old order for lack of poli+cal and economic freedom Karl Marx •  German, 1818-­‐1883 •  Worked in London acer escaping poli+cal pressure in Germany and France, collaborated with Freidrich Engels •  Cri+cized industrial capitalist system on economic, poli+cal, philosophical, historical, and moral grounds •  Das Kapital; Communist Manifesto Marx’s Vision of Capitalist Structure •  Material Base-­‐factors of economic produc+on and ins+tu+ons in which they are used within an economy –  Means of Produc+on-­‐elements used in economic produc+on; land, labor, and capital and other raw materials –  Forces of Produc+on-­‐forces that transform the means of produc+on (factories, machinery, technology, industrial knowledge, skill of laborers) –  Social Rela+onships of Produc+on-­‐ways in which different types of economic agents interact with each other •  Division of Labor-­‐dividing a produc+on task into iden+fiable sub-­‐tasks to be undertaken by individual workers in order to capture economic efficiency •  Superstructure-­‐non-­‐economic social ins+tu+ons •  History is a story of class struggle; ruling class controlling the lower classes Marxism •  Bourgeoisie-­‐middle class in a capitalist society (factory owners, shopkeepers, bankers, etc.) •  Proletariat-­‐working class •  Aliena+on-­‐being at war with one’s nature •  Socialism-­‐economic system based on collec+ve ownership of the means of produc+on •  Economic, poli+cal, and philosophical doctrines set forth by Karl Marx and developed by his followers –  Capitalism is internally unstable and prone to fall into economic crises –  Profits of capitalist enterprise comes from the exploita+on of workers (wages received are less than what they produce) –  As capitalism develops, workers will become more aware of their situa+on and more likely to overthrow capitalism by force –  Capitalist society will be replaced by a socialist economy and democra+c poli+cal organiza+on What is a State? •  Across +me and loca+on, men and women have organized themselves into social groupings within territorial limits •  Some small group within society makes and enforces laws—the state •  Common characteris+cs of a state –  Use of force to obtain obedience –  Claim to be legi+mate •  Legi+mate Authority-­‐the right to give commands that others have a moral obliga+on to obey Legi+macy •  Generally, people accept the state’s claim of legi+macy and obey even when they are not actually forced to do so •  Belief in the legi+macy is what holds a society together, but that does not necessarily make the state actually right in its claim of legi+macy •  Ques+ons –  When does a state have a right to claim legi+macy? –  Does a ci+zen ever have an obliga+on to obey the commands issued by the state? –  Is there any way a ci+zen can submit to the will of the state without giving up his or her freedom and autonomy? Jean-­‐Jacques Rousseau •  Swiss, 1712-­‐1778, Of the Social Contract •  Social Contract-­‐a voluntary, unanimous agreement among all the people of a society to form themselves into a social unit with agreed upon rules of conduct and government –  Idea taken from law, two par+es enter into a contract for mutual benefit –  Members of the contract owe obedience because: •  They entered freely •  They each benefit from the contract –  Legi+macy is granted by ci+zens –  Ci+zens obey because state protects their rights •  General Will-­‐decision of a society’s members to put aside individual preferences in order to work toward the collec+ve good of that society –  General Will followed when disagreement arises between state and ci+zens or among ci+zens themselves –  Rousseau was pessimis+c that this could be achieved John Locke’s Second Trea5se of Government •  A defense of the social contract •  Four points –  All men are created equal, inalienable right to life, liberty, and property acquired by their own labor –  God gave man reason so that they know their rights and devise a government that protects them –  As long as a government con+nues to protect ci+zens’ rights, ci+zens owe obedience to government –  If a government ceases to protect ci+zens’ rights, it is their right and duty to alter or abolish old government and create a new one •  Tacit consent-­‐agreeing to a contract, without actually signing it or explicitly declaring allegiance to it –  If a person enjoys the protec+ons and liber+es provided by a state, they owe obedience to that state Pluralist Theory of the State •  Ci+zens do not approach the state as individuals, but as members of groups (neighborhoods, churches, unions, par+es, business groups, special interest groups) •  To understand poli+cs, it is important to understand the way in which groups are formed and the way they interact •  Earl Latham-­‐supporter of pluralist theory, The Group Basis of Poli5cs •  Does that lead to fac+ons? (James Madison, Federalist No. 10) •  Opponents: fac+ons works for their own interest, not the general will •  Supporters: individual can only make an impact on elec+on day, groups serve their interests of the individual members in day-­‐to-­‐
day opera+ons of society Racial Cri+que of the Social Contract Theory of the State •  Charles Mills, West Indian Philosopher, The Racial Contract –  Social contract theory conveniently forgets to men+on the slaves, colonials, and original inhabitants (ocen people of color) that the par+cipants in the social contract exert control over –  Did founding fathers make social contract with Na+ve American? With Slaves? –  It “…would be a fundamental error to see racism as anomalous, a mysterious devia+on from Enlightenment European humanism….it needs to be realized that European humanism usually meant that only Europeans were human.”