Philosophies of Government Assignment | Get Homework Help

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Topic: After reviewing different philosophies of Government, which one would you favor and why? Paper is to be 3-4 pages and contain at least 4 scholarly sources

Viewpoints of Government

1. Government as a “Positive Good”

1. It s proponents argue that government is necessary for the people of a society to share in all of the opportunities provided by that entity. Without Government, there would be chaos until the society eventually disintegrated.  Thomas Paine, whose writings helped to stir the movement for colonial independence from England during the American Revolutionary War, believed that the government was necessary “to supply the defect of moral virtue.”  Paine meant here that government helps to place us on the correct moral course while steering us away from a path that might lead to harm for ourselves and others.
2. Supporters of this viewpoint believed that it was not government’s responsibility to rectify not only what was wrong with American life, but to provide, through legislation and programs, avenues to a better life. President Franklin Roosevelt’s New Deal (1933-1941) was an example of this approach.  I  Even more ambitious were the Great Society programs of President Lyndon Johnson, which got underway in 1965, following his election to a full four year term.  Johnson and his followers believed that there was little   that government could not do to rectify past injustices, while providing spending on a multitude of programs, to upgrade the lot of Americans.

1. Government as a “Necessary Evil”

1679. Its supporters believe that government’s reason to exist is to serve as a restraining force. That is, government tells us what we can and cannot do.  Government’s role is characterized here by such terms as “prohibit”, “restrain”, “regulate”, “compel”, and “coerce”. Government assumes this function primarily through its power to pass laws, and to enforce them.  One of the most prominent proponents of this viewpoint was Thomas Hobbes, an Englishman who lived from 1588 to 1679.  In his most famous work, “The Leviathan”, Hobbes explained the necessity for government and, in particular, for the monarchial form of rule.  People created governments, Hobbes wrote, as protection against themselves since life was by definition “poor, nasty, brutish, and short.”  This condition resulted from the tendency of humans to attempt to maximize their own pleasure and passion at the expense of others. Moreover, in a state of nature, defined here as humans living together without an organized government of laws, impartial judges, and executives to enforce judicial decisions and rules, the unsatisfactory resolution of disputes could lead to anarchy, which would spell the effective end of this group as a viable entity.  Therefore, with the issue of survival their foremost concern, humans abnegated the right to govern themselves and, instead, turned over all power and sovereignty to a ruler by a virtue of a “social contract”.
1680. Others who came after Hobbes and who embraced the idea of government as the necessary agent to protect the social order believed, however, that people of a nation possessed certain inviolable rights and that it was the obligation of government to protect those rights. Most notable of those adhering to this view point was John Locke, who maintained that the citizens of a society created a government through a “social contract” to protect those rights.  Government may exercise only the authority that the citizenry has given it.  If that government does not fulfill the purpose for which it was created, or if it exceeds the limited powers granted it, it must be replaced by a new government more consonant with the expectations of its creators, the citizens of a state.  Locke’s ideas on a social contract and the obligations of a government to its creators are found in the “Second Treatise of Government”, one of the most famous documents examining political thought in the West.
1681. Still another slant on the view of Government as a necessary evil was held by Thomas Jefferson. While acknowledging the need for government, Jefferson also believed that government could contribute best to public prosperity by allowing individuals and businesses to manage themselves.  Liberty, he believed, can be protected most effectively by a strict adherence to the limits placed on governmental power by the Constitution.

• Government As An “Unnecessary Evil”

1. This view point is held by Anarchists who oppose authority because it thwarts human development.
2. Karl Marx, also held this viewpoint, but for different reasons from anarchists. The Marxist rejection of government stems from its belief that the government is merely a tool of the Bourgeoisie, which worked closely with it to suppress and exploit the working class.  Marxist doctrine taught that in the aftermath of a violent overthrow of the capitalist class through a worldwide workers’ revolution, the stage would be set for the elimination of government, which would, in Marx’s words, “wither away”, since exploitation would cease to exist in a classless society, whose members would be equal, and thus the reason for rulers to no longer exist.

Ideology

1. Ideology: A science or set of ideas whose purpose is construed on how to improve society.

1. Political Ideology: A coherent set of values and beliefs people hold about the purpose and scope of government-in the actions of individuals.  Ideologies are sets or systems of beliefs that shape the thinking of individuals and how they view the world, especially in regard to issues of “race, nationality, the role and function of government, the relations between men & women, human responsibility for the natural environment, and many other matters.   It is easier to understand how ideas get turned into action when one looks at the four functions political scientists attribute to ideology:

1. Explanation: Ideologies can provide us with reasons for why social and political conditions are the way they are, especially in time of crisis.
2. Evaluation: Ideologies can provide the standards for evaluating social conditions and political institutions and events.
3. Orientation: Ideologies can provide a sense of identity.
4. Political Program: Ideologies help people to make political choices and guide their political actions.

The Four Major Ideologies of America

1. Liberals: Pure Liberals are liberal on both economic and social issues.  They want the government to reduce economic inequality, regulate business, tax the rich heavily, deal with crime by addressing its (allegedly) economic causes, protect the rights of accused criminals, allow abortion on demand, and guarantee the broadest possible freedoms of speech and press.
2. Conservatives: Pure conservatives are conservative on both economic and social issues. They want less government regulation of business, lower taxes, and a greater reliance on markets, and they advocate getting tough on criminals, punishing pornographers and drug users, and cutting back on welfare payments.
3. Libertarians: These people are advocates of free markets, low taxes, and a small government (which makes them economic conservatives), but they are also support the greatest amount of personal freedom in social matters, such as speech, drug use, and abortion (which makes them social liberals).
4. Populists: These people are liberal on economic matters desiring government regulation of business and heavy federal spending on public programs, but conservative on social matters, opposing abortion on demand and favoring a crackdown on crime, drug use, and pornography.