Hobbes, Locke and Rosseau Flashcards
Jean Jacques Rousseau’s most famous work is titled and was published when?
The Social Contract (1762)
Rousseau’s concept of the state of nature is based on the notion…?
That human beings are self interested beings
Rousseau’s social contract is established based on the need for?
security and the guarantee of civil liberty, as opposed to natural liberty
Natural Liberty is?
The untrammeled right to do as one please without regard to their fellow beings, and their only guide is their instinct
Civil liberty is based on the concept of a community obedient to?
laws that they prescribe for themselves
Civil liberty is reliant upon?
restraint that can guarantee equality for all, instead of unbridled desire to do as one wishes
The civil state is inspired by..?
Justice and morality
In the civil state human beings derive security through?
Collective association
According to Rousseau the civil state would naturally evolve because?
the state of nature could not guarantee individual preservation against the threats of other and their pursuit of self interest
In the social contract human beings surrender their rights and privileges to?
everyone instead of to any one person in particular?
What is meant by the General will?
This is the will of the people and the foundation and source of authority for all laws of the state
The general will upholds the principles of? (4)
- liberty
- law
- right to property
- justice
- equality
- morality
The general will comes from all, and applies to all, means?
nothing less than the man will be forced to be free
For Rousseau, the sovereignty of the state lays in the?
general will of the people
Thomas Hobbes most famous work is titled and was published when?
The Leviathan (1651)
Hobbes argued that people..?
are born equal in mind and body and that equality is the source of all their difficulties
Hobbes’ pessimistic view of human nature was one whereby?
he felt human beings were filled with greed and the lust for power that would lead them to turn against their fellow human being
In Hobbes’ state of nature there is…?
a continual fear of danger ad violent death and the life of man is short, solitary, poor, nasty, brutish and short
The civil state for Hobbes is not organic but rather..?
a mechanical creation by human beings to have a sovereign (Leviathan) rule over them
The purpose of Hobbes’ state was..?
to make the necessary laws to allow peace, order and good governance
John Locke, just like Hobbes viewed the state as?
A mechanical or utilitarian creation
For Locke natural laws were?
the expressions of God’s will to human beings
For Locke, reason was?
a gift from God and unreasonable behavior was to be viewed as non-human
Right and wrong were determined by?
the laws of nature through the instrument of reason
The civil State, for Locke, was established in order to provide guarantees against imperfections in natural laws. What were these imperfections?
- the laws of nature were unwritten and could be misinterpreted or ignored
- no established impartial judges
- no guarantee that justice could be carried out by the wronged party
For Locke, the people have … and the government has …?
… rights … duties …
