Chapter 2 - Enlightenment and Social contract Flashcards
What is the Enlightenment / significance of the Enlightenment
The intellectual movement of the 17th centruy that perceives individuals to be autonomous and capable of moral evaluations.
Occurs after the collapse of the natural law theory due to secularism
What is a social contract
A metaphor or heuristic between the government and the governed demarcating the rights and duties of each.
The social contract is the basis of political authority founded on consent by the governed
Hobbes’ version of the social contract?
perceived nature of humankind: a state of war, where human’s lives are nasty, brutish and short. Without a government, people are willing to harm each other for their own self interest
social contract is to maintain social order and protect themselves from fellow citizens within the state
Locke’s version of the social COMPACT (not contract)
Different from Hobbes in that the social compact was to (1) promote the public good, maintain peace and security that would allow human flourishing, bettering and enrichment of human lives.
(2) also, the legitimacy of the government is from the explicit consent of the governed
(2) Protect the state from other enemies.
Rosseau’s idea of general will
General will is the interest of the people as a collective which the legislature must express.
Rosseau seeks to reconcile the freedom of the individual with the authority of the state by removing the contradiction between freedom and authority: the general will represents the collective’s interest and the individual’s natural rights
The general will gives the government their authority
Hobbes’ experience resulting in his theory
Grew up during the English Civil War, a fairly traumatic experience for him. The brutality of the war made an impression and his basic concern was how to prevent such incidents from happening again
Hobbes’ Leviathan and how is it related to the social contract
Leviathan is the absolute sovereign as the genuine common power that all are morally obliged to obey. Leviathan’s role is to enforce social peace
What are the five assumptions of human nature according to hobbes
- rational self interested parties with no concern for others (Limited altruism)
- conflicting desires
- roughly equal in their physical and mental powers
- forward lookers: concern to prolong their lives, extending survival
- willing to harm others for their own benefits for they value their own survival more than the wellbeing of others
Locke’s perception of humankind
a. Our state of nature is that of intelligent and moral creatures who have natural rights that precede the state and natural obligations
b. The state is a positive condition and the government allows the state to respect, endorse humankind’s natural rights that we originally possess and give meaning
Does Locke believe in rights?
Yes, humans naturally have our natural rights because we are governed by natural law.
Our natural rights and obligations are very important -> if the government conflict with our rights, we can rebel against the government + furthermore, the legitimacy of the governing party is derived from our explicit consent which allows them to be overthrowned
Our rights remain outside of the government’s oversight
What are the natural rights and obligations that people have even as they enter society
- right to life
- right to property
- right to liberty
Rosseau believes in the idea of natural rights
yes, but General will is prioritised instead of natural rights where the general will is the collective’s will that affects national legislation. the individual’s Natural rights are expected to be sacrificed for the cooperation of the General Will
Rosseau’s idea of the social contract
An ideal democracy: Social contract gives the government (parliament) their authority and has the consent of the governed.
The social contract, hopes to achieve social peace, solve class inequality because the general will comes from all citizens and applicable to all
Kant’s social contract
Founded upon consent of the governed in the form of moral obligation. This moral obligation is derived from the categorical imperative (a Moral imperative) that shapes human behaviour.
To protect positive freedom and maintain people’s autonomy by coerce people to come together as a society to opposes any hindrance to freedom
What is the categorical imperative
The RULE OF CONDUCT that is absolute and unconditional for everyone. it is independent of one’s emotions or desires and its validity is free from any desire or end.
IT is a moral imperative, there is only one CI.
