Should We Consent to Be Governed? A Short Introduction to Political Philosophy

by Nathanson, Stephen

• ISBN13: 9780534574161
• ISBN10: 0534574165
• Edition: 2nd
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2000-04-24
• Publisher: Cengage Learning

Summary

Rather than a survey of political philosophy, this concise text focuses on the problem of developing a personal outlook toward government and political life.

Table of Contents

Preface	viii
Should We Consent to Be Governed?	1	(8)
Personal Choices and Political Philosophies	2	(2)
What's Ahead? Four Political Outlooks	4	(3)
Super Patriotism	4	(1)
Political Cynicism	5	(1)
Anarchism	5	(1)
Critical Citizenship	6	(1)
Making Our Own Choice	7	(2)
Super Patriotism	9	(18)
The Case for Super Patriotism	12	(2)
The Parent Argument	14	(3)
The Benefactor Argument	17	(1)
The Agreement Argument	18	(2)
Criticizing the Agreement Argument	20	(4)
The Super Patriotic Attitude	24	(3)
Political Cynicism	27	(19)
Thrasymachus and Political Cynicism	29	(1)
The Marxist Version of Political Cynicism	30	(2)
The Moral Force of Cynicism	32	(2)
Types of Cynicism	34	(2)
The Lives of Cynics	36	(2)
Cynicism and Anarchy	38	(3)
Is Cynicism True?	41	(2)
The Lessons of Cynicism	43	(3)
The Case for Anarchism	46	(18)
The Argument from Freedom and Autonomy	48	(2)
The Coercive Nature of Government	50	(2)
In Defense of Moral Autonomy	52	(1)
The Argument from the Evil of Coercing Others	53	(2)
The Evils of Governments	55	(5)
Economic Inequality	56	(1)
Prisons and Criminal Justice	57	(1)
War and the State	58	(2)
The Anarchist View and the Anarchist Vision	60	(4)
The Case Against Anarchism	64	(17)
Hobbes and the Defense of Government	65	(2)
Is Hobbes Too Pessimistic?	67	(3)
The Benefits of the Civil State	70	(2)
The Legitimacy of Coercion	72	(3)
Is the Civil State Always Best?	75	(3)
What Hobbes Has Shown	78	(3)
Critical Citizenship	81	(21)
Objections to Critical Citizenship	83	(2)
The Ideal of Social Cooperation	85	(2)
Why King Took the Law Seriously	87	(1)
The Super Patriotic Objection	88	(2)
The Dangers of Advocating Disobedience	90	(4)
The Morality of Obedience and Disobedience to Law	94	(2)
A Hobbesian Objection to Critical Citizenship	96	(3)
The Ideal of Critical Citizenship	99	(3)
The Critical Citizenship Perspective	102	(16)
Where Do Critical Citizens Stand on Controversial Issues?	103	(1)
The Morality of Political Protest	104	(3)
Ways of Going Wrong	107	(1)
Taxation and Justice	108	(3)
Looking at Libertarianism	111	(3)
Who Cares?---Relating Politics to Personal Life	114	(4)
Suggested Readings	118	(3)
Bibliography	121	(3)
Index	124