Term
| What does Huemer mean when he says that rational evaluation is comparative? |
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Definition
| Instead of basing our beliefs about social theories on what is good or bad we should base them on what is better or worse. We often criticize or defend political proposals without considering the alternatives, simply because they seem good or bad; several decisions we have to make come down to a comparison of options, the result of which usually arises from which alternative is the best given the circumstances. We ought to reject a social system if and only if we can identify a superior alternative. |
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Term
| What does Huemer mean when he says that rational evaluation is comprehensive? |
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Definition
| He means that one must look at the better, bigger picture of things to fully understand whatever it is one’s evaluating. |
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Term
| What are the three basic features of human nature Huemer discusses in his simplified conception of human nature? |
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Definition
1.Humans are approximately rational
2.Humans are aware of their environment
3.Humans are selfish but not sociopathic |
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Term
| Be familiar with the historical Jamestown example. |
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Definition
| In Jamestown, individuals initially relied on others to pick up slack by providing the town with most of the resources (because wealth was divided evenly regardless of the amount of work) and their society fell apart. It wasn’t until individuals became reliant on their own individual plots of land in which they cultivated their own food etc, that they felt like they had to work and society functioned better as whole. This shows that a society can’t function if its only a small population trying to manage all the work. We need competition! |
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Term
| According to Huemer, what are two ways in which states can be utopian? What If There is No Authority? |
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Definition
1.States can be utopian by confusing the way individuals are “supposed to” behave with how they actually behave.
2.Secondly, states can be utopian by suspending assumptions about human nature when it comes to agents of the states.
a.What if there is no authority?
i.Philosophical Anarchy: this does not mean abolish all authority/gov. but instead realize that political authority is an illusion
ii.Political Anarchy: this belief supports the abolishment of all government
Should we abolish all gov.? Huemer says: No. The absence of authority means, that individuals are not obligated to obey the law merely because it is the law and/or that agents of the state are not entitled to coerce others merely because they are agents of the state. |
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Term
| What is legal moralism? What example does Huemer consider? |
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Definition
•The philosophy of law which holds that laws may be used to prohibit or require behavior based on whether or not society's collective moral judgment is immoral or moral… meaning states prohibit this behavior (prostitution) because its simply immoral.
Huemer’s Example: Prostitution |
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Term
| What is a paternalistic law? What example does Huemer consider? |
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Definition
•Paternalism is behavior by a person which limits some person or group's liberty or autonomy for that person's or group's own good. “For your own good”
•Huemer’s Example: Prescription drug laws, grants and low interest loans, social security, licensing |
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Term
| In his discussion about replacing taxation for a fee-for-service model for government services, what does Huemer say about how the poor would be able to afford these |
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Definition
•Huemer mentions several possibilities:
◦-Cheaper services based on %/income
◦-The poor wouldn’t get serviced (mentioned in class, not sure if huemer said this)
◦The poor would still receive services, they would just be of lower quality than the rich-which is what happens today (shopping at walmart vs gucci |
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Term
| Be familiar with the incompetent bystander example and what the point of it is (hint: it relates to anti-poverty programs). |
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Definition
There is a drowning child whom you are unable to help directly, but you can coerce a bystander into taking action. This time, however, assume that even if you coerce the bystander into entering the pond to pull the child out, it is unclear whether the child will actually be saved… Second, assume that there is a fair chance that, on his way to trying to save the drowning child, the bystander will accidentally knock one or more other children into the pond who will then drown. You find it difficult to assess these probabilities, so it is quite unclear to you whether the net benefit of forcing the bystander to ‘help’ is positive or negative.
So whats the point of his example? This is a lot like anti-poverty programs for a few reasons… It’s not clear that the welfare state really succeeds in rescuing the poor and secondly the state doesn’t really have the right to coerce people into donating money to anti-poverty programs. So although its permissible to coerce someone into saving a drowning child, it is not permissible to coerce someone to “save” the poor. |
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Term
| Given that many of the government’s policies are unjust, what are the implications for police officers? For judges? For soldiers? |
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Definition
•Police officers: Choose not to enforce unjust laws
•Judges: should not enforce unjust laws if possible
•Soldiers: Should refuse to fight in unjust war. |
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Term
| What is jury nullification? What is Huemer’s argument in favor of it? The Logic of Predation |
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Definition
•Jury Nullification: When a juror chooses to vote yes or no on moral grounds instead of looking at the facts. Used when a juror thinks a law is unjust and doesn’t agree with the punishment
•Huemers Argument:
◾ a. Wrong to knowingly cause harm to other
b. Wrong to wrongly convict another
c. wrong to convict one who violated an unjust law |
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Term
| Hobbes gives three reasons why humans in the state of nature will come into frequent conflict with each other. What are they? |
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Definition
1.Competition (limited resources)
2.Diffidence (attacking pre-emptively)
3.Glory/ pride |
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Term
| If you were to attempt to steal Abel’s apples, what are three ways in which you would be putting yourself at risk? |
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Definition
1.You’re putting yourself at risk because Abel could be stronger and attack you
2.Abel might have friends who want to get revenge
3.People in the community might see you as a threat and try to kill you |
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Term
| What are the three ways in which social conditions have changed that affect the prevalence of violence that Huemer discusses? |
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Definition
1.Social Values
2.Economic Factors
3.Weapons technology |
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Term
One might assume that a democratic state will at least serve the interests of the majority of voters. But, Huemer argues, even this need not be true (and, he implies that it is not). You should be able to sketch Huemer’s argument for why he believes this. (Your answer should include a discussion of voter ignorance and irrationality as well
as the costs associated with making informed and rational votes.) |
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Definition
•Voter Ignorance: Worst problem facing society today. Voters do not obtain the proper information to make a smart, rational choice about politics and thus their decisions may not best serve their or society interests.
•Voter Irrationality: People are irrational about politics for a few reasons. 1) It costs to be informed 2) People accept costs only when rewards exceed cost 3) Rationality is costly and requires a lot of effort 4) expected rewards of political rationality are negligible
•Costs: People must take time and money to become informed (reading and buying newspapers/news sites).
•Finally, for all practical purposes, your vote does not make a difference |
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Term
| Be able to cite one reason Huemer gives for why the news media fails to carefully monitor the everyday activities of government officials and report on them. |
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Definition
•It is not in the interest of the media to keep close watch over the government (consumers don’t demand this type of media)
•difficult, expensive and time consuming
•power of gov. will overpower news |
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Term
Why does Huemer think that the various branches of government will, and indeed
do, fail to provide sufficient checks and balances on the other branches of government? Individual Security in a Stateless Society |
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Definition
•The different branches of the Gov. have no incentive to restrain each other.
•Individual branches gain power as they pass more and more laws making it harder for other branches to keep checks and balances on them. |
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Term
| According to Huemer, what are two advantages of relying on private security firms |
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Definition
| He feels that they would provide higher quality, cheaper services than government police forces, for the same reasons that private provision of most other goods is cheaper and of higher quality. |
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Term
Huemer argues that employees of the private security firms would not want to
attack and kill the employees of other security firms for two reasons. What are they? |
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Definition
1.It is costly to start a war and dangerous to seek out conflicts
2.Opposition to murder- employees will be averse to killing people for two reasons
a.very risky to themselves
b.people are morally averse to murder |
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Term
| What is one reason Huemer discusses why one might object to “justice for sale”? |
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Definition
| pre-existing entitlement- unjust having to pay for justice. |
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Term
Huemer asks, “Which chain is larger: Walmart or Bloomingdales? What point is he
making in asking this question? |
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Definition
| He is pointing out that there will be justice for the poor because more people shop at Walmart versus Bloomingdales. The customer pool is larger. |
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Term
| Why does Huemer think organized crime would play a much smaller role in an anarchic society? |
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Definition
| it’s extensive and well funded now but in an anarchist society the funding would be dried up because it wouldn’t be illegal. For example, if drugs are legalized, the illegal drug trade market would die. |
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Term
| Some (e.g., Nozick) believe that because of the size advantage in combat, a security agency would inevitably evolve into a state. What is the argument for this view? What is Huemer’s response to it? |
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Definition
| These agencies would have the size and power to take over smaller agencies until they eventually formed into a state. Huemer thinks that agencies would turn to 3rd party arbitration because war is too expensive. Additionally if they evolved into a state, this would lead to bureaucratic insularity/ alienation because in bigger agencies, individuals just become a cog in a machine because the business is too big. |
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Term
| Huemer discusses three important differences between the HOA system he is proposing and typical governments. What are they? |
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Definition
1.Size, HOAs are smaller and democratic so your vote has a larger impact on decision making. citizens are able to make rational and informed decisions because they understand the issues.
2.Actual contracts--- less coercion
3.Actual competition between HOAs + it will do a good job serving members interests because they could choose to go somewhere else |
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Term
| Why does Huemer think arbitrators will be honest and impartial? |
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Definition
| Arbitrators are more likely to agree on procedures to resolve the disputes. And for people to appeal to a neutral 3rd party, they need a good reputation for fairness. |
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Term
| What are the two sources of law under Huemer’s proposed criminal justice system involving private arbitrators? |
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Definition
1.Property owners and HOAs
2.The arbitrators themselves |
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Term
| Discuss why Huemer believes restitution is generally preferable to |
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Definition
| Restitution is more preferable over incarceration because if you have to provide restitution for your crimes you are basically restored to the level of welfare you were at before the crime was committed which means there is no deterrent effect. Better for the victim, better for the wrongdoer, maintaining prisons is expensive. |
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Term
| Under what set of circumstances would it make sense to incarcerate people under Huemer’s proposed system (there are at least two). |
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Definition
1.if a person is a repeated offender he will be incarcerated. - preventative measure
2.murder/rape.
Can’t repay the victims- Madoff scheme- forced to work off your debt?
Some crimes can never be fully compensated for. |
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Term
| What are three ways in which the oversupply of law is objectionable? |
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Definition
1.there is excessive reliance on coercion (laws are backed up by coercion)
2.Large economic costs- every regulation has an overall negative effect on society, 1.75 trillion annually.
3.It is unreasonable to demand that all citizens know and understand all of the laws.- code of federal regulation |
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Term
Why, according to Huemer, are legal fees so expensive? What are two reasons for
thinking they would be significantly more affordable under Huemer’s proposed system? War and Societal Defense |
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Definition
•Legal fees are so expensive because of the oversupply of the law and the restrictions on the supply of legal services.
•only wealthy people can afford justice
•made worse off for having to defend yourself
•big corporations can afford legal fees while small businesses can’t- concentrating wealth in the hands of the rich.
•They would be significantly more affordable for two reasons
◦Competition would keep costs of law lower
◦less confusing laws |
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Term
| Huemer offers two reasons why the focus on relative military power for the safety of a society may be misdirected. What are they? |
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Definition
1.The requirements for effective defense may be more modest than the requirements for effective aggression.
2.The strategy of avoiding armed conflict may prove greater importance than attempting to win armed conflicts. |
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Term
| Why, according to Huemer, might it be more difficult to conquer an ungoverned territory than a governed territory? |
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Definition
| In the absence of central authority, neighborhoods may be conquered one at a time. This could be more expensive and could cause frequent guerilla attacks (very difficult to maintain control over individual areas). To conquer a governed country you’d have to completely take over their government or kill enough of the citizens. |
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Term
| Huemer discusses two prominent explanations for terrorist attacks, particularly against the United States. What are they and which does he think is more likely? |
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Definition
1.Clash of civilizations- ideological conflict
2.Foreign policy retaliation- more reasonable |
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Term
| What does Huemer mean by the expression “If you desire war, prepare for war.” Why think this is more likely to be true than, “If you desire peace, prepare for war”? |
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Definition
| Huemer argued that in our current model that high military powers are more prone to resolve problems in a more aggressively because they feel they can, while if we lived in an anarchic society, little threat would be seen. His second reason is that states that invest in military power are more inclined to use it. His third reason is that despite the popularity of the adage ‘if you desire peace, prepare for war’, those in foreign countries are less likely to take your war preparations as evidence of peaceful desires than as evidence of hostile intentions. The suspicion and hostility engendered in foreign nations will increase the likelihood of conflict spirals leading to war.The maintenance of a standing army creates a permanent class in society with an economic interest in war. HIghly militarized countries are no less likely to go to war, in fact, they are even more likely to go to war. |
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Term
| Huemer discusses a thought experiment where someone plans to protect their home by planting landmines in their yard. What point is this meant to illustrate? (dangers of national security) |
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Definition
| He uses this analogy to explain how powerful democratic nations with large military forces put people in different areas of the world at risk with their involvement in many major conflicts. The mere presence of our military effects innocent people around the world. |
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Term
| Huemer cites three observations that lead him to be optimistic that anarchy may one day be adopted. What are they? |
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Definition
1.Many radical political and cultural changes have occurred in the past.
a.“it would be foolish to suppose that radical social change has stopped.” No civilization-tyrannical civilization-modern democracy
b.expect things to continue to radically change
2.The future will see even more rapid change than the past
3.Some of the most important long-term social changes have been in a direction consistent to eventual emergence of an anarcho-capitalism. |
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Term
| What are some examples of the degree of liberalization that humanity has seen over in it’s history? |
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Definition
•Ancient Rome and Gladiators - imagine a boxing official telling participants to dismember each other
•Aristotle wrote that some men are naturally suited to be slaves and others as masters. Imagine we started a war to capture slaves.
•Medieval torture devices such as cooking people - imagine George W. bush did that instead of waterboarding.
•in modern times, the death penalty has been argued over its moral or not, in medieval times it was handed out for trivial crimes such as gossip
•government doesn’t respect individual rights |
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Term
| f a nation did decide to adopt anarchy, why predict that it might then spread to other countries and societies? |
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Definition
| People in other countries can see how different policies work elsewhere. |
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Term
| Huemer argues that “if the theory of anarcho-capitalism is true and well-justified (which he has spent the book defending), then [there is a good chance that] it will come to be generally accepted. What support does he give for this claim? |
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Definition
1.the theory of anarcho-capitalism is true and well justified
2.if the theory of anarcho-capitalism is true and well justified, it will come to be generally accepted. (good ideas tend to win out over time)
3.if the theory of anarcho-capitalism becomes generally accepted, anarcho-capitalism will be implemented
4.therefore, anarcho-capitalism will be implemented. |
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Term
Why does Huemer avoid stipulating what the payment system would be for private
security agencies and what their specific duties would be? |
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Definition
•The functioning of the system is determined by the individuals occupying it, therefore, the answers to the questions about how the system would work must take the form of speculative predictions, rather than stipulations.
•Armed patrol, security cameras, alarm systems, detectives |
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