Philosophies课件.ppt

The “natural rights” are: Life Liberty Property – includes both material possessions and personal fulfillment; similar to the pursuit of happiness Government is created to protect these rights 精品文档 Government serves three purposes: It establishes law It acts as an authority and settles conflict It applies consistent justice 精品文档 Government… Does not cause minority suppression Rather, it enlarges liberty since, in the state of nature, freedom is limited by the conflicting rights of individuals To achieve this end, government should promote justice, operate according to the majority rule, and promote equality 精品文档 Critics argue two flaws: there is no proven instance where people first got together and gave their consent to the social contract people who were born under the government are not at liberty to create another one. 精品文档 Thomas Hobbes (self-preservation) people desire power and are willing to do whatever is necessary (in the absence of government) to get it People are greedy and can act in destructive ways toward each other when there is no common power to keep them in line 精品文档 All people are essentially equal every person possesses the “natural right” (liberty) to act in whatever manner he believes is appropriate in order to preserve his life and the objects which improve his life 精品文档 that the state of equality and the freedom to act according to one’s own desires will cause a “natural condition” of living in constant fear To gain a sense of security, people therefore naturally agree to develop a sovereign or government 精品文档 Hobbes refers to this government as the “Leviathan” Hobbes argues that a rational sovereign would only propose laws to regulated people when it was necessary for the common good This concept becomes Hobbes’ theory of self-preservation 精品文档 Jean-Jacques Rousseau (General Will) humans are good by nature but they become corrupt through social interaction contends that “man is originally without sin, that he comes into the