There is an important philosophical framework that has been used in political philosophy since Thomas Hobbes first used it in his 1651 book Leviathan. It is called the social contract theory. It is a thought experiment used to determine what the best form of government is and what are the legitimate powers of government. It basically works like this...
First, you imagine a time before there was societies and governments when people were said to live in the state of nature. Then you do the following...
1) You determine what man's basic nature is (what nature, or fundamental characteristics, do all people have in common).
2) You determine, given people's intrinsic natures or characteristics, what the state of nature like? (e.g. how would people get along without government, peaceably or violently?)
3) You ask what natural rights people have in the state of nature (i.e. They have a right to x).
4) Given basic human nature and the resulting state of nature, why do people form governments?
5) Given basic human nature, what is the best form of government?
(end of reading if you are prepping for Course II)
When you read about Hobbes this week, answer the following questions...
1) What, for Hobbes, is man's basic nature?
2) Given people's basic nature, what is the state of nature like for Hobbes?
3) What natural right(s) do people have in Hobbes' state of nature?
4) Why does Hobbes say that people form governments?
5) What form of government does Hobbes say is best?
Gottlieb will compare Hobbes social contract theory with that of the 18th century French philosopher Jean-Jacques Rousseau. That will give you an introduction to how political thought changed between these two centuries.
Note: The Social Contract has historical antecedents as old as the Greek philosopher Epicurus in the 4th century BCE and Buddhist thought two centuries later. It is intertwined with Natural Law philosophy, which we be discussing this week. It leads to the idea of "popular sovereignty" or "consent of the governed."
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