Political Philosophers

“The condition of man….is a condition of war of everyone against everyone.” ~Thomas Hobbes 1588-1679 English Wrote Leviathan Believed man’s natural state is anti-social and that moral rules are created to avoid chaos

“To love our neighbor as ourselves…might determine all the cases in social morality” ~John Locke 1632-1704 English Believed people had natural rights (life, liberty, and property) His ideas helped form the basis for the concepts used in American law and government.

“Governing a great nation is like cooking a small fish: Too much handling will spoil it.” ~Lao Tzu, Tao The Ching ≈600 b.c.-≈200 b.c. Chinese Might be more than one person student of Confucius Believed that people should turn away from the desires of the world and society and seek inner goodness through self-reflection

“I prefer liberty with danger to peace with slavery “I prefer liberty with danger to peace with slavery.” ~Jean-Jacques Rousseau 1712-1778 Born in Switzerland Questioned whether the rule of the majority is always right Felt that government should protect freedom, justice, and equality for every person regardless of majority’s will One of the government’s main jobs is to protect freedom

“[A]n isolated individual cannot achieve all the perfections by himself and without the aid of many other individuals.” ~Abu Nasr Mohammad ibn al-Farabi 870-950 Muslim Studied and taught in Baghdad Believed that the best society is one that embraces the pursuit of goodness and happiness Believed that people needed to cooperate to achieve happiness

“The most absurd apology for authority and law is that they serve to diminish crime.” ~Emma Goldman 1869-1940 Born in Russia but game to the U.S. as a teenager Spoke out for equal rights for women, free speech, birth control and against prejudice against homosexuals Believed in anarchism Believed that all governments become tools of control and domination

“He that would make his own liberty secure, must guard even his enemy from oppression; for if he violates this duty, he establishes a precedent that will reach to himself” ~Thomas Paine 1737-1809 Born in England but settled in Philadelphia Journalist Strong advocate of American independence Wrote Common Sense Against slavery Supporter of free public education and minimum income Believed that the governments sole purpose is to protect individual’s “inalienable rights”.

What are the benefits of living in a community? Divide the work Produce more resources Protection Specialization Achieve greater goals Education Trade Socialization

State of Nature is a term used by philosophers to describe the condition of humanity before the formation of states or nations Anarchy is sometimes used to refer to state of nature. It means the absence of government and a state of lawlessness

What is social contract? People make a voluntary agreement to define and limit their rights and responsibilities People will voluntarily give up freedom to a government in order to maintain social and political order If a person doesn’t abide by the rules of the contract, he or she is not entitled to the benefits gained by the group.