Social and Political Philosophy: State, Justice, and Civil Society
Legitimacy and the state
Know the social contract tradition: Hobbes (security, absolute sovereignty), Locke (natural rights, consent, right of resistance), Rousseau (general will, popular sovereignty). Understand legitimacy, authority, sovereignty, and the distinction between state and civil society (associations, media, voluntary bodies independent of the state).
Justice
Be able to state Rawls' two principles (equal basic liberties; fair equality of opportunity and the difference principle) and the veil of ignorance; contrast with Nozick's entitlement theory, utilitarian justice, and communitarian critiques (Sandel, MacIntyre). Know distributive justice, retributive justice, and restorative justice.
Freedom and rights
Distinguish negative liberty (non-interference) from positive liberty (self-mastery); legal from moral rights; and liberalism, republicanism, and communitarianism.
Traps
(a) Confusing the general will with the will of all; (b) treating Rawls' difference principle as simple equality; (c) equating civil society with the state; (d) confusing negative liberty with licence.
Rule of thumb
For any political theory, ask: what justifies coercion, and what limits it? Then locate the theory on the spectrum from liberty-centred to community-centred.
Worked example: A policy benefits the worst-off at the cost of some liberty. A Rawlsian asks whether it satisfies the difference principle and the priority of liberty; a libertarian asks whether it violates entitlements. The answer depends on the criterion of justice.