Food for Thought

Week 5: Tuesday, February 17

Everyone is responsible for the questions concerning the readings by Perry and Kant. As for Locke, I will divide you in groups according to the first letter of your last name. Look below to find out which questions you are responsible for with regard to Locke.

Perry, Western Civilization: A Brief History

1) What exactly was the Netwonian synthesis? What did Newton synthesize?

2) What did the Enlightenment owe to the scientific revolution? In other words, how did the former stem from the latter?

3) What were the most prominent ideas associated with the Enlightenment?

Kant, "What is Enlightenment?"

1) According to Kant, what is Enlightenment?

2) Who ought to lead the way to Enlightenment? How will Enlightenment spread? What are the circumstances or environment best calculated to further Enlightenment?

John Locke, Two Treatises on Government

See below to see which questions you are responsible for—I have organized the questions according to the first letter of your last name.

State of Nature (Section A: B through C; Section B: A through C)

1) What law governs men in a state of nature? What does it stipulate? Who executes this law?

2) What brings an end to the state of nature?

State of War (Section A: Donovan; Section B: D)

1) What is a state of war? What causes a state of war?

Slavery (Section A: F through G; Section B: E through H)

1) According to Locke, what justifies slavery? In other words, under what circumstances can slavery rightfully take place?

Property (Section A: H; Section B: L)

1) God gave the earth to all of us in common. What, then, led to the emergence of private property? What gives individuals the right to private property?

Political Society (Section A: J through K; Section B: J)

1) What does an individual delegate to the community upon the formation of civil society?

2) How does Locke define civil society?

End of Government (Section A: M; Section B: M)

1) What is the chief end of government?

Limits of Government (Section A: P; Section B: O through S)

1) What is the first institution a civil society must create?

2) What are the limits on government in a civil society?

The Right to Rebel (Section A: S through Z; Section B: W through Z)

1) What must the executive power refrain from doing? "Who shall judge whether the prince or legislative act contrary to their trust?"

2) What objection to his theory does Locke attempt to counter in this section?