AP US Government : Factors That Influence Beliefs in Politics
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Example Question #21 : Fundamental Political Beliefs
How did Thomas Hobbes view the concept of the social contract?
Preserving order and escaping the brutal state of nature
Justifying the overthrow of democracies.
Perfecting human interaction with nobility.
Discovering God's will for humans
Preserving order and escaping the brutal state of nature
The writings of Thomas Hobbes explored the relationship between man and government. Hobbes had a non-idealized vision of human nature and advocated for social contract and government intervention in human society. He uses the stability brought about by government to justify an amount of control exerted by governments. Hobbes was an influential thinker throughout the 18th century and influence a number of early American legislators.
Example Question #22 : Political Ideals And Beliefs
Which of the following statements about the pluralist theory of politics is false?
Competition between interest groups for public attention and resources helps enforce a balance of power so that no one group gains dominance.
The people and their government are brought together by interest groups, so that each side is able to gain insight and ideas from the other.
Interest groups usually decide not to follow the established rules of fair play and good conduct in their political dealings.
Interest groups provide equal opportunities for representation to any and all interested citizens.
Interest groups usually decide not to follow the established rules of fair play and good conduct in their political dealings.
The pluralist theory believes that, by and large, interest groups (contrary to public opinion) actually do follow all the expected rules when pursuing their goals. According to pluralist belief, interest groups avoid depiction, manipulation, cheating, and/or falsehoods out of simple common sense and self-interest – each group wants a fair chance to achieve their aims and so therefore they all implicitly agree not to act in unfair ways that would otherwise unjustly obstruct each other. This default code of cooperation and ethical conduct underlies all interest group activities, reducing corruption and helping to keep each group’s ambitions in check.
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