Thinkers Flashcards
Leonardo Da Vinci
-Scientific Method
-Empirical research
-smallest unit
-Supported mercantilism
-the sovereign should be responsible for the nation’s income
-wanted to add export and minimize import
-supported imperialism
Niccolo Machiavelli
-The prince as a mirror to the sovereign
-Man is inherently bad
-against religious institutions but not against religion
-wrote the idea of a people’s army with people that have something to lose and do not get a reward
- people when they say they need freedom need security
- as long as people have private property they tolerate any regime
-the ends justify the means
-legitimized violence, persuasion
Thomas More
-Catholic
-author of Utopia
-in the first part the book advocates against emerging capitalism, modern poverty, and ownership
-the second part talks about utopia which is a place in primitive communism, ruled by god’s will
-there is no money and no private property
-the king should be brought down in case of tyranny
-indirect elections
Martin Luther
-against the catholic church
-founded Protestantism
-published his 95 theses against the church
-rejected indulgences, and the papal authority
-the liberation of man: no need for institution => direct relation of man and god
-feared the radicalization of the religion
- medieval economic views
-against social revolutions
-rejected new scientific insights
-society has a distributional system: German agricultural perspective
-political conservatism
-the liberation of man meant no equality
-lost the support of humanists
-supported by German nationalism, German princes
-against the catholic church
-founded Protestantism
-published his 95 theses against the church
-rejected indulgences, and the papal authority
-the liberation of man: no need for institution => direct relation of man and god
-feared the radicalization of the religion
- medieval economic views
-against social revolutions
-rejected new scientific insights
-society has a distributional system: German agricultural perspective
-political conservatism
-the liberation of man meant no equality
-lost the support of humanists
-supported by German nationalism, German princes
-men’s faith is predestined
-profits are the results of good work (early capitalism)
-dogmatic
-men is helpless befpte god and fate is fixed
-embraced early capitalistic order
-political expression of religious fanatism
-mankind perfected for god
-equal obligation under the law for everyone
Juan Gines de Sepulveda
-Supported Spanish colonies
-Called indigenous people monkeys, they couldn’t think
-“natural slaves” based on the Aristotelian theory that some are inferior and some superior
-subjugated encomia (to be the vessels of the crown and rule colonized people)
Bartolome de las Casas
-Spanish Priests
-Did not think that indigenous people were monkeys and slaves by nature
-no forces conversion to Christianity but through studying and preaching
-if the indigenous did not accept Christianity after peacefully being presented with it then they would be called heretics; they had no opportunity to choose from
Oliver Cromwell
-Leader of the “New model army”
-Opposed the king because of the taxes
-he believed that the taxes were making private property insecure for the people
-Reformed warfare => soldiers fought because they believed and not because they were paid (mercenaries) = much like the Machiavellian idea
-the omnipotence of the king was unjust
-created rump parliament
The levellers
-Kicked out of Cromwell’s army
-Said cromwell replaced King tyranny with another tyranny
-they wanted an extension of the right to vote
-representatives with 2 years mandate
-against the institutionalized church
-agreement of the people - power delegated through election
-the differences between poor and rich
-level social differences => extension of political participation
-freedom of religion
The Diggers
-sought economic equality based on the learning of apostles
-men and women equal before god
-sought reform of the system
Mary Atell
-advocated for the education of women
-equality in marriage
-god did not subjugate women but men did=> men insulting god
Francis Bacon
-through knowledge man can control and know nature
-knowledge is power
-understand laws of nature
Thomas Hobbes
-state of nature - men freed from society, culture => self-realization
-homo homini lupus society- man gave in to his impulses and that meant chaos so they exchanged freedom for protection
-Leviathan = absolute sovereignty
Rene Descartes
- I think therefore I am
-reason at the center of everything
Benedict de Spinoza
-Rationalist thinking
-men are inherently bad and egoistic
-but this egoism can go away with the love of god
-democracy is the final way of governing
-people are very egoistic so eventually they will reach compromise
