Polsc. 663 Study Guide for Final Exam, Spring 2007

1. How can we reconcile the celebration of primitivism and nature that shines through the Discourse on the Origins of Inequality and in Rousseau’s life as illustrated by the video on Rousseau, and his proposals for social control in the Social Contract?

2. In what ways was Rousseau a typical Enlightenment thinker, and in what ways was he a critic of the Enlightenment?

3. How did man become civilized and therefore thoroughly corrupt, according to Rousseau, in the Discourse on the Origins of Inequality?

4. How can the Social Contract be seen as correcting the corruption of civilization as it actually developed? What is it meant to get rid of in society, and what is it meant to establish for society?

5. Explain the concept of the “general will” according to Rousseau. What does Rousseau hope to obtain by establishing the general will as the source of law in the community?

6. Why does Rousseau think people need a Founder and a civil religion? What should that religion teach people? What sort of beliefs should the society not tolerate, and why?

7. How did Mill’s personal background, including his childhood and his marriage, affect his philosophy?

8. What are Mill's top five reasons, in your opinion, for advocating women’s equality? Why might Mill still be criticized by contemporary feminists?

9. What makes Mill a liberal thinker, and in what way does Mill deviate from previous liberal thinkers, such as Hobbes, Locke and Rousseau?

10. Hobbes, Locke and Mill all make arguments that could support women's equality. Compare and contrast these arguments. Which makes the most solid case in your view, and why?