Section 1 – 10 Points
Write a brief essay of about 350 words answering one of the questions below

What is philosophy? Is philosophy or more specifically political philosophy useful? How does one conduct philosophical investigations? What kind of knowledge does (political) philosophy produce? What are some of the perennial questions of political philosophy? What answers do you have, if any, to these questions?
Strauss is highly critical of the tendency in modern period to produce a distinction between “non-philosophical political science and non-scientific political philosophy”. Do you find his criticisms to be persuasive and useful? Why or why not? Be sure to discuss his conceptions of “philosophy” and “political philosophy” in your answer.
Strauss states, “The rejection of value judgments is based on the assumption that the conflicts between different values or value-systems are essentially insoluble for human reason. But this assumption, while generally taken to be sufficiently established, has never been proven.” What is he trying to argue here? What are some of the implications of his arguments? Do you find his argument to be persuasive? Why or why not?

 

 

Section 2 – 10 Points
Write a brief essay of about 300 words answering one of the three questions below
According to Crick, what are the two central tensions in thinking about democracies? Do you see them as tensions? Do you see possibilities for reconciling the tensions? How?
Do democracies produce good government? Why or why not? Discuss with reference to Crick. Be sure to discuss in your answer how do you conceptualize and measure good government.
John Keane argues that there have been three different historical phases of democracies across the world over the last four millennia. What are these phases and what are their defining qualities. Approximately, when and where they emerged? In what sense all the three different types of democracies are democratic? In other words, what defines democracy for John Keane?