VCU POLI 107 Exam UPDATED ACTUAL
QUESTIONS AND CORRECT ANSWERS
Leo Strauss and an Approach to Understanding What Political Philosophy Is - CORRECT
ANSWER All political action has . . . in itself a directedness towards knowledge of the good: of
the good life, or of the good society. For the good society is the complete political good. If this
directedness becomes explicit, if men make it their explicit goal to acquire knowledge of the good life
and of the good society, political philosophy emerges...Political philosophy is the attempt to
understand the nature of political things. Before one can even think of attempting to understand the
nature of political things, one must know political things: one must possess political knowledge. At
least every sane adult possesses political knowledge to some degree. Everyone knows something of
taxes, police, law, jails, war... "
Philosophy (Strauss) - CORRECT ANSWER Literally love of wisdom/knowledge. Concerned
with comprehensive knowledge, universal knowledge, knowledge of nature of "the whole," of being,
of reality.
Politics (Strauss) - CORRECT ANSWER Is concerned with action and a way of life; it is the
realm of opinion. Political things are, by their nature, subject to approval and disapproval, praise and
blame, choice and rejection - i.e., they are not neutral, nor are they objective.
Political Philosophy (Strauss) - CORRECT ANSWER "Political philosophy then is the attempt
truly to know both the nature of political things and the right or good political order."
Tension between Philosophy and Politics - CORRECT ANSWER If the political world is the
realm of opinion and philosophy is the attempt to replace opinion with knowledge then...
Political Thought as a Distinct Discipline (Strauss) - CORRECT ANSWER By political thought
we understand the reflection on, or the expression of, political ideas... Political thought is indifferent
to the distinction between opinion and knowledge.
Political Theology as a Distinct Discipline (Strauss): - CORRECT ANSWER Political Theology
seeks to reconcile or give an account of divine revelation in relation to the political world. Political
philosophy comes to its conclusions through unassisted human reason, i.e., without the aid or reliance
on revelation.
, Social Philosophy as a Distinct Discipline (Strauss) - CORRECT ANSWER Social philosophy
looks at features that aren't specifically political but attempts to understand and encounter the world
through society first, and understands politics as shaped by social forces rather than vice-versa.
Political Science as a Distinct Discipline (Strauss) - CORRECT ANSWER Applies the natural
science model to social phenomena and understands itself, first and foremost, as an objective science.
It is for this reason that Strauss maintains that political science is unphilosophic. Political science, in
understanding political knowledge as objective/neutral, is unable to speak of the good except
implicitly.
The Crisis of political philosophy (Strauss) - CORRECT ANSWER When, "one has applied the
distinction between philosophy and science to the study of human affairs ... all dignity, all honesty" is
taken away from political philosophy. Why? "[This division regarding what constitutes a legitimate
path to the study of politics creates] disagreement regarding [political philosophy's] subject matter, its
methods, and its function..."
WHY?
Because when political science - as an allegedly objective science questions a model of inquiry not
based on the natural sciences, then the, "only point regarding which academic teachers of political
science still agree, concerns the usefulness of studying the history of political philosophy. Originally
political philosophy was identical with political science, and it was the all-embracing study of human
affairs. Today, we find it cut into pieces which behave as if they were parts of a worm...If we inquire
into the reasons for this great change, we receive these answers: political philosophy is unscientific, or
it is unhistorical, or both. Science and History, those two great powers of the modern world, have
finally succeeded in destroying the very possibility of political science."
Positivism (Strauss) - CORRECT ANSWER Positivism, according to Strauss, maintains, "every
rational and justifiable assertion should be scientifically verifiable or is capable of logical or
mathematical proof."
For this reason it rejects political philosophy as unscientific.
"...[Positivism] agrees with Comte by maintaining that modern science is the highest form of
knowledge, precisely because it aims no longer, as theology and metaphysics did, at absolute
knowledge of the Why, but only at relative knowledge of the How. But...it has abandoned completely
Comte's hope that a social science modeled on modern natural science would be able to overcome the
intellectual anarchy of modern society. In about he last decade social science positivism reached its
final form by realizing or decreeing that there is a fundamental difference between facts and values..."
QUESTIONS AND CORRECT ANSWERS
Leo Strauss and an Approach to Understanding What Political Philosophy Is - CORRECT
ANSWER All political action has . . . in itself a directedness towards knowledge of the good: of
the good life, or of the good society. For the good society is the complete political good. If this
directedness becomes explicit, if men make it their explicit goal to acquire knowledge of the good life
and of the good society, political philosophy emerges...Political philosophy is the attempt to
understand the nature of political things. Before one can even think of attempting to understand the
nature of political things, one must know political things: one must possess political knowledge. At
least every sane adult possesses political knowledge to some degree. Everyone knows something of
taxes, police, law, jails, war... "
Philosophy (Strauss) - CORRECT ANSWER Literally love of wisdom/knowledge. Concerned
with comprehensive knowledge, universal knowledge, knowledge of nature of "the whole," of being,
of reality.
Politics (Strauss) - CORRECT ANSWER Is concerned with action and a way of life; it is the
realm of opinion. Political things are, by their nature, subject to approval and disapproval, praise and
blame, choice and rejection - i.e., they are not neutral, nor are they objective.
Political Philosophy (Strauss) - CORRECT ANSWER "Political philosophy then is the attempt
truly to know both the nature of political things and the right or good political order."
Tension between Philosophy and Politics - CORRECT ANSWER If the political world is the
realm of opinion and philosophy is the attempt to replace opinion with knowledge then...
Political Thought as a Distinct Discipline (Strauss) - CORRECT ANSWER By political thought
we understand the reflection on, or the expression of, political ideas... Political thought is indifferent
to the distinction between opinion and knowledge.
Political Theology as a Distinct Discipline (Strauss): - CORRECT ANSWER Political Theology
seeks to reconcile or give an account of divine revelation in relation to the political world. Political
philosophy comes to its conclusions through unassisted human reason, i.e., without the aid or reliance
on revelation.
, Social Philosophy as a Distinct Discipline (Strauss) - CORRECT ANSWER Social philosophy
looks at features that aren't specifically political but attempts to understand and encounter the world
through society first, and understands politics as shaped by social forces rather than vice-versa.
Political Science as a Distinct Discipline (Strauss) - CORRECT ANSWER Applies the natural
science model to social phenomena and understands itself, first and foremost, as an objective science.
It is for this reason that Strauss maintains that political science is unphilosophic. Political science, in
understanding political knowledge as objective/neutral, is unable to speak of the good except
implicitly.
The Crisis of political philosophy (Strauss) - CORRECT ANSWER When, "one has applied the
distinction between philosophy and science to the study of human affairs ... all dignity, all honesty" is
taken away from political philosophy. Why? "[This division regarding what constitutes a legitimate
path to the study of politics creates] disagreement regarding [political philosophy's] subject matter, its
methods, and its function..."
WHY?
Because when political science - as an allegedly objective science questions a model of inquiry not
based on the natural sciences, then the, "only point regarding which academic teachers of political
science still agree, concerns the usefulness of studying the history of political philosophy. Originally
political philosophy was identical with political science, and it was the all-embracing study of human
affairs. Today, we find it cut into pieces which behave as if they were parts of a worm...If we inquire
into the reasons for this great change, we receive these answers: political philosophy is unscientific, or
it is unhistorical, or both. Science and History, those two great powers of the modern world, have
finally succeeded in destroying the very possibility of political science."
Positivism (Strauss) - CORRECT ANSWER Positivism, according to Strauss, maintains, "every
rational and justifiable assertion should be scientifically verifiable or is capable of logical or
mathematical proof."
For this reason it rejects political philosophy as unscientific.
"...[Positivism] agrees with Comte by maintaining that modern science is the highest form of
knowledge, precisely because it aims no longer, as theology and metaphysics did, at absolute
knowledge of the Why, but only at relative knowledge of the How. But...it has abandoned completely
Comte's hope that a social science modeled on modern natural science would be able to overcome the
intellectual anarchy of modern society. In about he last decade social science positivism reached its
final form by realizing or decreeing that there is a fundamental difference between facts and values..."
