Introduction To Philosophy
Hobbes argues that, in the absence of social condition, every action we perform, no matter how charitable or benevolent, is done for reasons which are ultimately self-serving. For example, when I donate to charity, I am actually taking delight in demonstrating my powers. In its most extreme form, this view of human nature has since been termed psychological egoism. Hobbes believes that any account of human action, including morality, must be consistent with the fact that we are all self-serving. In this chapter. Hobbes speculates how selfish people would behave in a state of nature, prior to the formation of any government He begins noting that humans are essentially equal, both mentally and physically, insofar as even the weakest person has the strength to kill the strongest. Given our equal standing, Hobbes continues noting how we are situations in nature make us naturally prone to quarrel. There are three natural causes of quarrel among people: competition for limited supplies of material possessions, distrust of one another, and glory insofar as people remain hostile to preserve their powerful reputation. Given the natural causes of quarrel, Hobbes concludes that the natural condition of humans is
The anarchist theory Kropotkin advocated was a very libertarian anarchism. It's aim was to "put anarchism on a scientific basis," rationally planning the ideology and future history of the radical ideology, where people lived in harmony with the existence of an attitude he dubbed 'mutual aid' (altruistic cooperation). Much of his philosophical thought is contained in the famous mutual aid, which explains the way his theories work. In being in opposition to Darwinism, which stressed competition and conflict for survival and regeneration, Kropotkin proposed the idea that cooperation was the chief factor in the evolution and success of the species. This idea was based on his scientific studies of Siberia conducted in the 1860's, where he observed that sociability was dominant feature at every level of the animal world. Especially among humans, cooperation was the rule rather than the exception. In human societies, the way cooperation was undertaken among humans had evolved, generally organized into five stages: primitive tribe, peasant village, medieval commune, and finally, modern social/trade association (Red Cross, trade unions, etc.). Even after the rise of bureaucratic government, people still maintained some sort of localized cooperation among themselves. The trend of modern history, therefore, was going back towards decentralized, nonpolitical, and cooperative society. In such an environment, men could develop their "creative faculties" without interference from rulers, religious leaders, or soldiers. Hobbes believes that to ensure contracts (and peace) power must be given to one person, or one assembly. We do this by saying, implicitly or explicitly, "I authorize and give up my right of governing myself, to this person, or to this assembly of people, on this condition, that thou give up thy right to him, and authorize all his actions in like manner." His definition of a commonwealth, then, is this: "One person, of whose acts a great multitude, by mutual covenants on with another, to the end he may use the strength and means of them all, as he shall think expedient, for their peace and common defense" This person is called a "sovereign." He continues that there are two ways of establishing a commonwealth: through force, or through institution. The three main forms of government are monarchy, aristocracy and democracy. He argues that monarchy is best for several reasons. Monarch's interests are the same as the people's. He will receive better counsel since he can select ex
Some common words found in the essay are:
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Approximate Word count = 1683
Approximate Pages = 7 (250 words per page double spaced)
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