Study Questions

1. Compare and Contrast the theories of Locke, Hobbes, and Rousseau found in this chapter. Using these theories, provide a detailed analysis of the story of Bob the Caveman.

2. The news is consistently filled with stories involving conflict among groups. What current examples can you find in the news? How do your examples fit with this chapter’s discussion of group identification, “the other,” and threats to the group?

3. What are the four securities that are critical to understanding the political dynamics of developing nations? Why don’t they have normal names?

4. Identify the ways in which state, regime, national, and individual security operate within the United States; provide examples.

5. Why is collective action the essence of government?

6. What is power, and what are the various forms that it can take? What fictional examples can you think of that demonstrate the different forms of power? What are some real-world examples?

7. How do hierarchy and context come together to shape human interaction?

8. Discuss the relationship between power, authority, hierarchy, and the legitimacy of government.