Final For political theory 2014. 2025

Hobbs, The sovereign is an unnatural being

Artificial

Hobbs, The sovereign is holding a sword and a bishop's scepter

They represent earthly and heavenly, hence all authority

What is the aim of the book, Leviathan?

How to produce peace instead of war. So, we remain in the realm of negative political theory

Hobbs, What method does he use?

- He wants to dismantle society to see how it works, cannot really do this so he proposes a thought experiment

Hobbs, First step, once one has dismantled society, one is left only with its constituents parts, what are those parts?

Individuals

Hobbs, Second step, what assumptions about human nature does Hobbs make?

Human beings are naturally self-interested yet confront scarce resources, so will do what is necessary to ensure primary goal of self-preservation.

What does Hobbs take these assumptions about human nature to imply?

-Absolute natural equality

Hobbs, What makes individuals equal in the state of nature?

No justice or injustice, therefore, individuals equal insofar as each has the right to everything

Hobbs argues that this, dismantled society is no society at all.. hence his famous thought experiment begins with the idea of the..?

State of Nature

Hobbs, The state of nature compels behavior that belies three aspects of "nature of man". What are they?

Competitiveness, Diffidence, Glory(power, different from Machiavelli's Glory)

Hobbs, How do we escape the 'state of nature'?

Covenant to uphold a “social contract”. Covenant of all with all

Hobbs, How does the covenant come about?

Two assumptions, nature and Liberty

Hobbs, Individuals innate capacity for reason commands they obey the laws of nature

- First seek peace where and when possible

- Second, lay down the right to all things

- Third, honor all agreements, keep all covenants made

In other words, Hobbes argues that the rational individual, in the state of nature will give up all rights for one right what is it?

- The right not to be killed

Hobbs, How does the covenant of each with each deliver this right?

- Establishes an artificial unity, a common power, power backed by coercive threat. Called the sovereign

Hobbs, Individuals transfer right to everything to the sovereign who guarantees one right, what is it?

Not to be killed

The sovereign therefore ----- all individuals?

Represents

What is the social contract?

- An artificial device to secure order, protection, safety, trust, and the conditions of cooperation.

What does the social contract establish?

Establishes the sovereign, all seeing, all doing, power, the state. It is above society, not with society.

How does Hobbes flip the script on traditional Aristotelian notion of humans as the political animals?

For Aristotle, citizens are the state. Hobbes says no, the state conjures citizens into being, prior to it. Individuals are a mere multitude. Only when citizens covenant with each other, do they become subjects of the sovereign.

Hobbs, Two things must be accepted regarding the laws of nature, what are they?

Right of nature and Liberty

Hobbs, Three laws of nature

First, seek peace

Second, lay down his right to all things, and to be contended with so much liberty against other men as he would allow other men against himself

Third, honor agreements to keep conventions made

Why then is Hobbes not a royalist, why did he anger royalists?

He rejects the 'divine right of Kings' and locates power of the sovereign in the peoples' rational decision

What does that rational decision consist of?

We covenant to sustain the social contract which delivers absolute power to the sovereign (one person or an assembly of persons)

Why must the sovereign be all powerful?

Otherwise, we will regress to the state of nature

Is hobbs a republican

No

Hobbes was the first moder thinker and arguably the first?

Liberal

Hobbes is telling us something more about human nature. what might it be? Why is Hobbes seen as a thinker who kicked off liberalism?

- Individuals renounce right to all things based on capacity for reason

Individuals realize that they should deprive themselves of the capacity to act on their independent judgments. As long as others do what?

The same

Hobbs, If this is what the wise individual does, how does Hobbes Foole act?

- Ignores the light of reason and proceeds to increase his own power by seizing either earthly or heavenly kingdom (becoming sovereign)

What are the constituent parts of the state nature?

Competitiveness, diffidence (don’t make friends), vainglory (hunger for renown)

The sovereign delivers and upholds impersonal and universal law: Hobbes spells out three foundations of modern, both classical and progressive liberalism:

- Equality

- Toleration

- Universal law

What is Wollstonecraft’s overall aim?

· To offer a positive political theory: wants to make the world better, a more moral place, wants to align politics with morality

What is the central argument of the Vindication of the Rights of Woman?

- To show how the alignment of politics with morality is inseparable from the happiness of each individual woman, of all woman

False education encourages all women to use feminine wiles to attract a rich husband but this can only lead to unhappiness, why?

- No one stays attractive, beautiful forever

- Because intellect will always govern Morality and Rationality are one

Education transforms women’s sense of worth from beauty, attractiveness, appearance to

- Rational self-command, self-knowledge of virtue

What does formal education do for women?

- Makes women fully human beings ruled by reason rather than raw desire

Wollstonecraft concludes her Introduction by stating: “[B]ecause [i]ntellect will always govern” what does she mean by this?

- Reason and moral principle are ultimately aligned

What does Wollstonecraft mean by ‘education’?

Learning to think and reason

Can anyone tie the argument of VRW to VRM?

Miseducation of women, denial of rights to all individuals, undermine human capacity for reason, therefore, undermines rationality of society as a whole

How can we summarize the core argument of VRMen?

No individual can be expected to perform duties as citizens if they live in a society that does not respect god given natural rights

Can you follow Wollstonecraft's logic, which is typical of natural rights theorist, including John Locke?

- All being with souls are capable of recognizing rational order when they see it, therefore liberating ourselves ensures realignment of politics with moralist, approximating the ideal of justice on earth brings humanity closer to re-establishing gods will

MW, How does one know is a situation is just?

One practices virtue so that one can capably relate what one observes on earth to the heavenly ideal

Jeremy Bethan was a critic of natural rights theory

§ Strong critic of natural rights theory, nonsense on stilts

§ Designed panopticon prison: the more strictly we are watched the better we behave

Bentham, Believed all knowledge

derived from sensation

Did Bentham believe that all matter is measurable?

Yes. Insisted that all matter quantifiable in mathematical terms

What is a happy community for Bentham?

The aggregate sum of all the happiness of the individuals that make it up

Pleasure 'the only good' pain, without exception, the only evil

Bentham, Pain and pleasure the final cause of individual action and efficient cause of and means to individual happiness

How does the legislator influence individual actions in a direction?

By reflecting on four sanctions, physical, political, moral, religious, Legislator can calculate the value of pains and pleasures

What is the sole evaluative criterion for utilitarians such a Bentham?

The utility of an act, nothing is good or bad just pleasure and pain

How is the utility of an act determined good or bad?

The consequences

What for Mill is the most conspicuous feature of historical political struggles

- Struggle between liberty and authority

What is modern liberty for Mills?

Setting formal limits to ruler's power and setting informal limits on self repression and conformism to influence exerted by mass society and culture

Mill and patriots

The aim of patriots was to set limits to the power which the ruler should be suffered to exercise over the community and this limitation was what they meant by liberty

Establishment of constitutional checks on governmental power

Mills, Historically what were the two ways that limits on rulers’ power were attempted?

- Recognition of rights

Constitutional checks.

- In a society of people there is a risk that a real majority or a fake majority will dominate the minority, This Mill calls this the problem of the?

- Tyranny of the majority

Mill believes that the great danger of modern society is:

self-repression and conformism which sap human energy and creativity

Mill’s effort to reconcile both sides of the truth Utilitarianism with romanticism:

The Utilitarian Calculus: Everyone will seek pleasure instead of pain.

Romanticism: Individuals are unique, have different natures, therefore must have space to discover true selves

Bentham, how to measure happiness

Each person's happiness is constituted of the aggregate balance of pleasures over pains

Mill notices something else about this Post Atlantic revolutions political problem.. what is it?

Social. Tyranny of the majority is not merely a political but social problem

How does Mills reconcile Utilitarianism and romanticism?

He uses a single principle that the only purpose for which power can be rightfully exercised over any member of a civilized community is to prevent harm to others

Mill’s three dimensions of modern liberty?

Liberty of conscience, liberty of tastes and pursuits and liberty of combination

Is Mill a moralist?

No, he opposes natural rights

Mill believes that all people are reasonable seeker s of truth and that over time

all good things come together

Is it reasonable to believe that political is always and only about dealing with reasonable people who seek the truth?

He does not know