ARISTOTLE

ARISTOTLE

1st Argument: Completion of Natural Development

  • Political society is the final stage in the evolution of human communities.

  • Humans possess natural desires to propagate their species, wanting to leave behind an image of themselves.

2nd Argument: Capacity for Speech

  • A being that can speak inherently has a sense of good and evil, justice and injustice.

  • Therefore, beings with this sense create families and states.

  • Humans possess the capacity for speech, thus they inevitably form families and states.

3rd Argument: Origin of the State

  • The state is fundamentally prior to the family and the individual in nature.

PLATO

Structure of Humans

  • Humans consist of three parts:

    1. Appetitive: Needs for nourishment and reproduction.

    2. Spirited: Emotion, passion, and willpower.

    3. Rational: The thinking part, which is the highest and should govern.

Ideal Society

  • Children's Education:

    • Taken by the state for discipline and training.

    • Physical Education: 10 years.

    • Music: 5 years.

    • Religion: 5 years.

  • Great Elimination: Those who fail will join the working class.

    • Athletic and Character Training: 10 years to develop body and mind.

  • Second Elimination: Further tests to determine those who will become soldiers or executive aides.

    • Philosophical Study: 5 years in philosophy.

    • Academia: Testing of theoretical knowledge.

    • Practical Education: 15 years for applied learning.

THOMAS HOBBES (1588-1679)

  • Emphasized Totalitarianism and the necessity for an absolute power in governance.

  • Authored Leviathan, advocating for a state with total authority.

  • Believed humans were equal by nature and deemed people as subjects under the government, not as citizens.

JOHN LOCKE (1632-1704)

  • Advocate of Democracy and the concept of Tabula Rasa (blank slate).

  • Proposed that a natural law governs people's actions without the need for written law in a state of nature.

  • Argued that government exists to protect people, contingent upon the people's adherence to its commands.

JEAN JACQUES ROUSSEAU

  • Introduced the notion of General Will through works like The Social Contract.

  • Asserted that "Man was born free, and everywhere he is in chains."

  • Portrayed humans as primitive and savage beings.

KARL MARX (1818-1833)

  • Renowned German philosopher and the Father of Communism.

  • Key works include the Communist Manifesto.

  • Described the evolution of societal structures:

    • Ancient Period: Master and slaves.

    • Medieval Period: Lords and serfs.

    • Industrialization: Bourgeoisie vs. Proletarians.

  • Outlined historical stages: A. Prehistory: Paradise-like existence. B. Precapitalism: Periods of slavery and serfdom, feudal systems. C. Capitalism: Transition where lord-serf dynamics become obsolete. Equality before the law established, with voluntary work conditions. D. Communism: Advocated for the abolition of private property.