Kevin's Watch

At school next Friday, the Philosophy Club is having a meeting where we'll discuss the idea of an "ideal government." I was wondering if you guys would have suggestions for handouts we could use to supplement? We've decided on the Constitution for starters, my socialist friend is bringing Che quotes, and I'm creating a handout of Confucian excerpts. What else should we bring? Any suggestions welcome!

Try to include Pagan/Wiccan sayings and excerpts, a great deal of teaching others not to harm anyone, a great deal about love and acceptance of your fellow human beings......

Ideal govt in ideal world? Or ideal govt in "real" world?

Lord Mhoram wrote:the Philosophy Club is having a meeting where we'll discuss the idea of an "ideal government." I was wondering if you guys would have suggestions for handouts we could use to supplement? We've decided on the Constitution for starters, my socialist friend is bringing Che quotes, and I'm creating a handout of Confucian excerpts. What else should we bring? Any suggestions welcome!

Per Paul:

The Republic (Plato)
Leviathan (Thomas Hobbes)
Two Treatises on Government (John Locke)
The Wealth of Nations (Adam Smith)
Democracy in America (Alexis De Tocqueville)
Theory of Justice (John Rawls)
...and anything by Mikhail Bakunin on Anarchy.

"While it will take you several years to get through all this, one or more of these should be available for free on the internet and just flipping through it will be fun!"

www.ushistory.org/paine/

Tommy Paine.

Paul, via Menolly wrote:Theory of Justice (John Rawls)

^ One of my set-works for my philosophy degree.

You're on a hiding to nothing LM. There's no such thing, and no way that I can think of to define it.

I suppose the closest you can come is "One that brings the least harm to the most people."

--A

V for Vendetta?

Good suggestions everyone.

Avatar,

You're on a hiding to nothing LM. There's no such thing, and no way that I can think of to define it.

Meh, I don't think that really matters. You could say that about anything in philosophy. The fun is in discussing it and the different interpretations of government, in this case.

True enough. Whatever may or may not exist is unimportant when it's fun looking for it.

--A

Minimalistic. Protect rights. 'nuff said.

Avatar wrote:

Paul, via Menolly wrote:Theory of Justice (John Rawls)

^ One of my set-works for my philosophy degree.

You're on a hiding to nothing LM. There's no such thing, and no way that I can think of to define it.

I suppose the closest you can come is "One that brings the least harm to the most people."

--A

This isnt strictly the closest you can come to ideal, under a utilitarian government you'll probably have to throw some human rights out the window. Oh, hang on, I think the US might have already started..

Of course you'd have to. Which is fine, as long as your successor, and his, and so on, are all of the same high moral standard.

So what would you think is close to ideal?

--A

Simply print out all posts by Dromond.

Utopia!

loz Dromond.

I dont really think there is an objective ideal, it seems to me that the choice between differente systems is like a>b>c>a.

--A