IB Philosophy Core: Hobbes and Rousseau on society and the state of nature
- Created by: Milly
- Created on: 12-04-13 12:02
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- Hobbes and Rousseau
- Hobbes
- Leviathan
- The Sovereign is the head of state and has control over all the poeple
- All of the individuals in the society make up the body of the state and therefore support the Sovereign by agreeing to submit themselves
- The state has authority over of of the land and the ultimate opinion
- Individuals must give up almost all rights
- Especially rights allowing you to exercise your disgretion in respect to law
- However, if the Leviathan puts your life in danger you have the right to go against him
- State of nature
- War-like state
- Equal desires for limited resources
- Constant fear of a violent, sudden death
- The horrors of the state of nature make individuals come together to agree on a Sovereign
- Leviathan
- The Sovereign is the head of state and has control over all the poeple
- All of the individuals in the society make up the body of the state and therefore support the Sovereign by agreeing to submit themselves
- The state has authority over of of the land and the ultimate opinion
- Individuals must give up almost all rights
- Especially rights allowing you to exercise your disgretion in respect to law
- However, if the Leviathan puts your life in danger you have the right to go against him
- The Sovereign's role is to ensure peace
- They enter into a social contract motivated by self preservation
- Leviathan
- Thought experiment
- Life would be , 'nasty, brutish and short'
- Solitary
- War-like state
- 17th century philosopher who was a product of the humanist literary culture of renaissance
- Leviathan
- Rousseau
- State of nature
- uncorrupt by civilization and the socialization process
- Man would be isolated, timid, peaceful, mute and without foresight to worry about the future, because man is not naturally equal
- No communities exist
- Humans are not only motivated by self preservation but also pity, as we revolt at the suffering of others
- Social contract
- All men obey the laws of society, devised by the rich to secure property
- The poor must make sacrifices in order to provide securty for the wealthy which prevents conflict
- Society would develop in stages
- First humans organise themselves into temporary groups for specific tasks
- Secondly humans would form more permanent relationships, like traditional families
- Concepts of property, pride and competition develop
- No pain or inequality exists yet
- This is the stage of greatest happiness
- Thirdly there is division of labour with distinct social classes and this is where conflicts begin from
- Critised Hobbes for not acknowledging that the characteristics humans have in his state of nature as war was a result of society
- State of nature
- Hobbes
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