using socratic method to teach HS seniors about the tenets of classical liberalism

Economics Economics Questions
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1

This Friday I will be teaching a class of High School seniors about the wage, labor, and employment. Before I begin to teach about those topics directly, I would like to, through Socratic questioning, have the class arrive that the purpose of the law is to prevent injustice against life, liberty, and property (Bastiat).

Then after drawing this conclusion, I want to discuss the rights to fruits of labor, and why minimum wage is a confiscation of property, deprevation of liberty, which leads to a less free life. Any related ideas?

What should my line of questioning be? I have 50 minutes.

Your fellow Austrian -Mark

2

Although I can’t contribute very much, here’s one article related to your plan. I hope it gives you some insipiration.

http://mises.org/daily/2207

3

Here is what I have so far:

  1. What is the purpose of Law, why do we have law?
  2. To prevent crime
  3. To punish criminals
  4. To keep rule and order1. How do you define crime?
  5. Something done against another person that limits rights
  6. Murder, theft etc1. What are examples of doing something against someones will?
  7. Keep going until theft, murder, property, kidnapping are all mentioned.
  8. What do we call it when someone is shot and killed?

i. Murder

ii. Why is this a crime?

1. It confiscates Life

a. But cant someone want their life taken away?

i. It confiscates life against their will.

  1. What do we call it when someone is forced into activity that they do not wish to do?

i. Slavery/kidnapping?

  1. Is slavery a crime?

a. Why..

i. It is theft!

ii. What does it take from the slave?

  1. Freedom -

a. What is another name for freedom?

b. ….liberty

  1. You all mentioned it: what do we call it when property is stolen?

i. Theft

  1. Why is it illegal to steal property?

a. Because you had to work for it

b. Because its yours

c. Because you paid for it

  1. What do you have to do to obtain property legally?

a. Pay for it

i. Right – where did you get the money to pay for it?

1. Job, investment

ii. Why did I pay for this property, couldn’t I have held on to my dollars and bought something else?

1. I would be better off buying the item with my dollars.

  1. What do we call it when two countries pay for the goods of another country?

  2. TRADE

b. So, What did I have to do with my dollars to obtain my property?

i. Trade

ii. What do my dollars represent?

  1. Work, jobs, invesements

c. What determines how much money someone makes? Wait for other answers…

i. How many hours are in the day?

ii. 24

iii. And how many hours can you work per day?

iv. …

v. So I will ask again, what determines how much someone can make in a day?

vi. TIME

vii. So what can we say you had to exchange to earn money to trade for property?

viii. TIME

ix. So I had to sacrifice time to get my property

d. How much time does a dead person have to earn money/property

e. How much time does a slave have to earn money or propertly?

f. So, what can we say are two requirements to be able to obtain property?

g. Are those the only requirements?

  1. So, who can summarize what the purpose of law should be?
  2. Protect life, liberty, property
  3. So, how does a citizen stay within the law/under this structure, what are the three requirements I must meet to not be in violation of the law?

i. By not infringing on someone else’s life, liberty, or property.

ii. How does the law prevent this from happening?

  1. Should the law be to promote Justice or prevent injustice?
  2. What exists by itself? Justice or injustice?

i. Injustice

  1. People are imperfect. So how can we rephrase this statement:

i. The purpose of law is to protect life, liberty, property?

ii. The purpose of law is to prevent injustice, injustice defined as the encroachment of life, liberty, and property.

  1. What is the relationship that binds life, liberty, and property to your person?

i. There will probably be silence…

ii. Who drives a car in here?

iii. When you are pulled over by the state, what do they ask to see?

  1. What does registration prove?

a. Ownership

  1. Who owns your life?
  2. Who defends your liberty?
  3. Who owns your property?
  4. And what is the purpose of law, if you accept that these three rights are god given, natural law, rights1. Now we are ready to talk about employment.
4

That’s an impressive bit of preparation. As an aside, have you ever tried Mind Mapping (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mind_map) for this sort of thing? A big whiteboard with the central theme written in the middle is a good starting point for a class discussion.