Deck 10: Working

Question 1

Adam Smith explicitly argues that we have no duties to our fellow human beings.

Answer 1

False

Question 2

Locke believes that a person makes common property his own by mixing his labor with it.

Answer 2

True

Question 3

Adam Smith presents the classic defense of capitalism. His argument is based on __________.

A) Efficiency
B) Private property
C) Prosperity
D) Socialism

Answer 3

A

Question 4

Marx contends that in the epoch of the bourgeoisie, a person's worth is a function of __________.

A) Exchange value
B) Race
C) God's love
D) Their class commitments

Question 5

Marx says, "The history of all hitherto existing society is the history of __________"

A) Original sin
B) Idolatry
C) Class struggle
D) Conquest

Question 6

Restate Locke's criteria for the just possession of property in your own words. Then see if you can identify any ways in which contemporary affluent societies fail to meet these criteria in their standard practices of labor, accumulation, and consumption. Explain why they fail to meet Locke's moral standard for property.

Question 7

Adam Smith argues that if persons pursue their own interests through the market, the result will be that the interests of society are promoted more effectively than if governments actively try to do so.

Question 8

When appropriating property, Locke says one can take as much as one wants as long as __________.

A) One calls it first
B) God allows it
C) There is as much and as good left for others
D) One agrees to let others use it
E)g. everybody. But also, since God gave the earth to everyone equally, no one can appropriate something to the degree that it causes harm to another, in other words, no one can own more than what he really needs. After this, he is taking from the share that properly belongs to others. This may be problematic. One may think it is unreasonable, for it is difficult to determine who may have put the most amount of labor into a thing. Take for instance a guitar: is it the property of the person who has made it, or the person who plays it the most often, or the person who plays it the most beautifully? One may, however feel that it is a very reasonable assertion to own what one has put the most labor into. It certainly has a very intuitive thrust to it. We often speak of things which we have put our blood and sweat into as being a part of us, and it certainly seems less reasonable for someone to own something which is never made useful, and which they have no history with, other than ownership.
A further complication may be exemplified by the American theft of land from Native Americans. Certainly from the perspective of European Americans, the land was often worked on more and put to far greater use. But use for who? The land may not have been labored upon for crops or industry, but Native Americans certainly resided and lived of or it. So which claim is on the land is the more moral claim?

Question 9

Marx says that the key to ending exploitation is expanding the ownership of private property.

Question 10

Do you think that putting ones labor into "improving" or using property "usefully" is a reasonable or meaningful justification for ownership? Why or why not? Can you think of any other justifications for ownership? Is ownership of nontrivial property (for example, land) justified at all? Why or why not?

Question 11

Locke argued that a person could acquire property if he put his labor into it, used it to meet his needs, and did not cause harm to another in so using it. One could not, he argued, gain ownership of property one did not need. If we allow that one can use property for the needs of others as well, do you think that Locke's principle is ethical? Why or why not?

Question 12

Locke argues that we may appropriate nature indefinitely.

Question 13

According to Locke, a person can acquire private ownership of some unowned piece of property by __________.

A) Mixing his labor with it
B) Declaring it a gift from God
C) Stealing it from nature
D) Calling it first

Question 14

Locke thought that if the principle above would be followed, no one would ever be able to "intrinch [infringe] upon the right of another" because there is so much land; it would remain an inexhaustible resource. From our place in history, we might well say that Locke was wrong. Indeed, what do you think Locke himself might say about, for example, the destruction of vast areas of rain forest, often taken from indigenous peoples, in order to (among other things) mine gold?

Question 15

What is the consequence of each man following his own self-interest, according to Smith?

A) Class struggle and eventually revolution
B) The interests of society are also promoted
C) Some fall between the cracks
D) The disparity between the rich and poor becomes more pronounced

Question 16

Smith famously argued that if persons pursue their own interests through the market, the result will be that the interests of society are promoted more effectively than if governments actively try to do so. Try to restate Smith's picture of a successful economy in your own words and then evaluate its current relevance. Does the growth of poverty in many areas of contemporary global economy diminish Smith's argument? Or does the growth of the middle class in some other areas (such as India and China) support it? What are the moral stakes of restraining or not restraining market forces that may help or harm millions of people? Keep in mind the arguments of Singer, Walzer, Pogge, and Schweikart.

Question 17

In order to get others to help us, Smith says we ought to _________.

A) Appeal to their consciences
B) Manipulate them with shame and guilt
C) Show them it is in their own best interest
D) Threaten them with harm

Question 18

Smith assumed that everyone has labor of some kind that others need so that everyone has a place in the economy. Does the global economy really need the labor and skills of all 6.7 billion humans? Or is there a surplus of labor in the world? Has history shown Smith to be, for the most part, right or wrong? Why or why not?

Question 19

Marx endorses capitalism only in limited areas such as the banking industry.

Question 20

Locke contends that every man is born owning __________.

A) Nothing
B) The land and its fruits
C) Himself
D) Intellectual property

Question 21

Schumacher argues that the core difference between Western economics and Buddhist economics is that the former is based on the multiplication of wants while the latter is based on purification of the human character.

Question 22

How does Schumacher describe the Buddhist conception of work?

A) The function of work is to give a man a chance to utilize and develop his faculties
B) The purpose of work is to enable man to overcome his self-centeredness by joining with others in a common task
C) The aim of work is to produce goods and services that are in demand
D) All of the above

Question 23

Describe the concept of "Right Livelihood," as presented in Schumacher's text. Can you see any number of ways earning an income can be harmful to oneself and others? What are some examples?

Question 24

What freedom does Marx say the bourgeoisie have promoted in their exploitation of the workers?

A) Speech
B) Religion
C) Movement
D) Trade

Question 25

Schumacher notes, "While the materialist is mainly interested in goods, the Buddhist is mainly interested in __________."

A) Services
B) Meditation
C) Non-violence
D) Liberation

Question 26

Schumacher thinks that the "very start of Buddhist economic planning" would be planning for full employment. How does he suggest that a society should go about accomplishing this aim? Do you think that full employment is a reasonable goal? Do you think that full employment is a moral obligation for governments and societies?

Question 27

Free education for all children in public schools. Abolition of children's factory labor in its present form. Combination of education with industrial production, etc.

Question 28

Many people think of affirmative action as meant fundamentally for African Americans. Describe in detail how Hooks' experience complicates these assumptions.

Question 29

Hooks engages in a "rethinking the nature of work." What are the conclusions of her argument? Restate in your own words her thoughts on a "new work ethic." Why, in Hooks' view, is this new ethic necessary?

Question 30

Buddhists and modern economists agree that wellbeing can be measured by consumption.

Question 31

How does Hooks think that women are exploited economically? What evidence does she put forward for this view? Do you agree with her conclusion? Why or why not?

Question 32

Which of the following characterizes a Buddhist point of view __________.

A) Work and leisure are complementary parts of life
B) Work should make up most of life
C) Work should be avoided as much as possible
D) Leisure should make up most of life

Question 33

Hooks writes that jobs should be created by shortening the work week. Do you think Marx and Engels (Reading 91) and Bertrand Russell (Reading 92) would agree? Why or why not? Does this seem moral and feasible to you? Why or why not?

Question 34

If we lived in a society and world more in line with the suggestions of Michael Walzer (Reading 46), Peter Singer (Reading 50), John Rawls (Reading 48), Thomas Pogge (Reading 51), and others in Chapter 7, would Hooks' concerns by alleviated? Why or why not?

Question 35

Shipler argues for the classic American view that hard work and intelligent decision making is sufficient to lift anyone of average intelligence and diligence out of poverty.

Question 36

What negative consequences does Hooks cite as a result of more education women entering the workforce?

A) Educated women performed too well, often to the embarrassment of their male counterparts
B) Divorce increased as women became more independent, both financially and sexually
C) Male workers were often laid-off because female workers could be paid less for the same job
D) Less educated workers were pushed out of the job market

Question 37

Hooks claims that attitudes toward work in much feminist writing reflect bourgeois class bias.

Question 38

Schumacher writes of three functions of work from the Buddhist point of view. What are these functions? Does this seem like an accurate description of work, or does it leave something out? Support your answer with specific examples.

Question 39

What factor does Hooks identify as the playing the biggest role in leading women to seek work outside the home?

A) The need to increase the workforce during WWII
B) The financial needs that came from raising children
C) Desire to further the feminist cause
D) Desire to be free from male domination

Question 40

On what grounds does Hooks criticize the "work liberates women" ideology?

A) Even when the ideology was developed many women were working outside the home and yet they were not liberated.
B) Women who did work outside the home were often subjected to "menial labor"
C) The ideology pushed many women to tolerate low paying jobs.
D) All of the above

Question 41

If you believe in God (perhaps as Creator), do you think work is, or can be, an extension of God's own creative work?

Question 42

What, according to Shipler, is the "American Anti-Myth"? Restate it in your own words and the evidence that Shipler presents for its existence. Do you agree with his argument? Why or why not?

Question 43

Shipler refers to the poor in America as "invisible," and "forgotten." Why do you think he uses these terms? Do you agree with this characterization? Why or why not?

Question 44

According to Shipler, the federal poverty line is set so low that many people above it can hardly make ends meet. Do you find his view of the poverty standard persuasive? What might be the results of raising this line?

Question 45

What does Shipler refer to as the "American Myth"?

A) The notion that people who work hard and make the right decisions can achieve success
B) The notion that the poor are lazy and addicted to drugs
C) The notion that the poor are poor because they lack family planning skills
D) All of the above

Question 46

Do you find this poem sentimental in an unmoving sense, or do you find it sentimentality encouraging? Are the sentiments expressed here helpful in respect to thinking about the moral nature of work? Why or why not?

Question 47

Which of the following is a key topic in Thoreau's poem?

A) Conscience
B) God
C) Joy
D) All of the Above

Question 48

Thoreau suggest that a conscience worth keeping is one that reflects on itself for itself.

Question 49

Shipler thinks that the American Dream is a myth.

Question 50

Shipler refers to an "American Myth." What is it and do you agree that this myth exists? Why or why not?

Question 51

Shipler argues that the working poor are __________.

A) Lazy
B) Forgotten
C) Uneducated
D) All of the above

Question 52

Thoreau refers to conscience as __________.

A) Nature
B) Instinct
C) Habit
D) Feeling

Question 53

Thoreau expresses a preference for the simple life.

Question 54

Thoreau writes of work as beautiful and rewarding, but, of course, hundreds of millions (at least) do not experience work in this way. Their work, if they have any, is drudgery or worse. Do you think we have a moral obligation to try to make meaningful, rewarding, and sustaining work available to the world's adult members? Why or why not?

Question 55

Thoreau says that he likes people who leave God's work not undone.

Question 56

Shipler is concerned that the rich are getting richer and the poor are getting poorer.

Question 57

If you do not believe in a God, do you think the reference to "God" in Thoreau's poem can represent something bigger than ourselves, to which we contribute? If so, what is that something bigger than ourselves?