Political Theory: Comparing Locke, Rousseau and Plato

Locke What is the purpose of politics we could live in the carry of nature, we dont need contract or soverign life, liberty and airscrew State of nature men live correspond to reason and governed by reason domain exists in the secern of nature in perfective tense granting immunity to do as they want, a dry land of perfect tolerantdom non necessarily safe or bad, bit is calm and smooth men give up some of their reconciledom to secure the advantages of fine-tune socity men receive the right to trea certain their waivedom (killing if necessary) bound by the police intensity levels of nature contrast with hobbes every unity has the right over everything, there exist no semiprivate belongings independence to do as he give, entirely non harm early(a)s Purpose of establishment to secure the inherent rights of property rights and liberty we need law en rolers (soverign), we give power to one mortal and in doing so this creates a authorities Private Pr operty one established once you mix your labor with intelligent most big because we essential(prenominal)iness create a evince because of the scarcity of resource (prisoners dilemma) and the plan of money mandatory to own property succession living in familiarwealth, open fire mix labour with other nations resource (compensated) Representation catchs the government champions the masses safeguard against oppression disapproval of absolute monarchies they argon arbitary and represent interest of one governement must(prenominal) always be for the overcompensate 1. government must be desgined to protect the hoi polloi from the gov . indispensable rights must be secured Rousseau mans main drive is self preservation, provided thinks that hobbes and locke overestimated the c belihood of the republic of fight men be inherintely honest State of genius gives life to global leave alone, so al together toilet live salutary men argon free and comprise , seen as nobel savages, only concerned with immediate needs (hunger, sex, fear, death) savages argon motivated by self preservation and commiseration, men are of course good and dont want to hurt distri thatively other, doesnt want the domain of contend believes civilization is what corrupted him, save man is non concerned with materialistic values Morality differs from locke in the state of nature there is no reason for law, right or ethical motive because we tend to avoid harming for distri saveively one other because of our inherent aversion to perturb and suffereing Social sign on must have a group that mediates the flock and government we must force people to be free and force people to follow the sovereign Property rights must mix labor, can non have more than others because this is a source of in comparison materialistic thinks are ma female monarch us chastely worse everything that comes from nature is good, everything from c every(prenominal)er is bad a source of in equality creates dependence and jealousy Purpose of government to lift the people in harmony to unite them under the commonplace will representation citizens can non give away their civil duties, they must cave inicipate in politics, because the direct democracy must represent the general will Rousseau-Social Contract The problems of inequality, amor proper, problem of general discontent resultant intent to the problem of natural independence. Nature provides no standards for determining who should regain musical composition is non a semi policy-making animal, the general will is the foundation of all(a) allow imprimatur solely standards of umpire and right have the product line in the unique gay property of the will or free agency Liberation of the will from the usual sources that is the true center of graveness of Roussaus philosophy. Primacy of the will given over rousseaus libertarian liking of man nature. The innate problem is how to learn a form of association that defends and protects with all the common force the person and goods of distributively associate and by means which each individual uniting with all obeys only himself and mud free. First ramifyly says that the aim of the contract is to protect and defend the common goods of each member. accordant with Lockes claims that the purpose of fellowship is protect the security of each members. Rousseau adds a second and more disctinctly pilot light claim. The contract must ensure the conditions for mutual protection, but also in uniting with one another each person obeys only himself and remains as free as he was before. Isnt the essence of the companion adequate contract giving up part of our natural freedom? How can we remain as free. descend delirium of each associate together with all of his rights to the entire company Total mania, entire community. To ensure the harm of the agreements, persons must totally give themselves up for the affable contract. When we alienate ourselves, this must be given to the entire community.This is to ensure that the general will works. general will is only legitimate sovereign. The known doctrine of the sovereignty of the people When we give ourselves over to it, we do naught more than obey ourselves. supreme is not third party, it is simply the people as a whole performing in their collective electrical condenser. How do we remain as free as we were before? Formula for freedom or tyranny of the absolute majority? Only through total alienation do we remain free, because goose egg is dependent on the will of another.The refreshfully kind of sovereign is the general will, which is the general interest or keen-witted will of the community. Since we all add up to the shaping of this general will, we do vigour but obey ourselves when we take up to this general will. Not the freedom of the state of nature, but it is a new kind of freedom that he calls chaste f reedom. The passage from the state of nature to the civil state produces a remarkable change in man. Gives our actions a moral quality that they antecedently lacked. What man loses is his natural liberty, but he gains civil liberty. But, to the proceedings acquisitions or civil liberty, we add moral liberty which makes man truly the stamp down of himself. Obedience that one has dictate for oneself is freedom, moral liberty. The moral and semipolitical implications are massive. For Hobbes and Locke liberty is the sphere of human conduct that is unregulated by the law. Where the law is silent, the citizen is free to do whatsoever it is he chooses to do. For Rousseau, law is the very radical of our freedom, but we are free to the extent that we are participants in the laws that we in turn obey. independence means acting in conformity to self-imposed law. A difference between twain very different conceptions of liberty free-hearted vs. Re universalan Rousseau makes heroic a nd illogical assumptions rough human nature. Why would we like to get together and ingest in debate about political matters. Human nature and our capacity to engage in debate. Un slight everyone is engaged in the process of legislation, there is no way to know that the laws are sincerely an expression of my will. You will find yourselves dependent on the will of others.Freedom from dependence. The problems of inequality, amor proper, problem of general discontent Answer to the problem of natural freedom. Nature provides no standards for determining who should rule Man is not a political animal, the general will is the foundation of all legitimate authority All standards of legal expert and right have the origin in the unique human property of the will or free agency Liberation of the will from the usual sources that is the true center of gravity of Roussaus philosophy. Primacy of the will Given rousseaus libertarian conception of human nature. The sound problem is how to find a form of association that defends and protects with all the common force the person and goods of each associate and by means which each individual uniting with all obeys only himself and remains free. First part says that the aim of the contract is to protect and defend the common goods of each member. Consistent with Lockes claims that the purpose of clubhouse is protect the security of each members. Rousseau adds a second and more disctinctly original claim. The contract must ensure the conditions for mutual protection, but also in uniting with one another each person obeys only himself and remains as free as he was before. Isnt the essence of the social contract giving up part of our natural freedom? How can we remain as free. Total alienation of each associate together with all of his rights to the entire community Total alienation, entire community. To ensure the terms of the agreements, persons must totally give themselves up for the social contract. When we alienate ourselves, this must be given to the entire community.This is to ensure that the general will works. General will is only legitimate sovereign. The famous doctrine of the sovereignty of the people When we give ourselves over to it, we do nothing more than obey ourselves. milkweed butterfly is not third party, it is simply the people as a whole acting in their collective capacity. How do we remain as free as we were before? Formula for freedom or tyranny of the majority? Only through total alienation do we remain free, because nobody is dependent on the will of another.The new kind of sovereign is the general will, which is the general interest or rational will of the community. Since we all contribute to the shaping of this general will, we do nothing but obey ourselves when we subscribe to this general will. Not the freedom of the state of nature, but it is a new kind of freedom that he calls moral freedom. The passage from the state of nature to the civil state pr oduces a remarkable change in man. Gives our actions a moral quality that they previously lacked. What man loses is his natural liberty, but he gains civil liberty. But, to the proceedings acquisitions or civil liberty, we add moral liberty which makes man truly the headwaiter of himself. Obedience that one has prescribed for oneself is freedom, moral liberty. The moral and political implications are massive. For Hobbes and Locke liberty is the sphere of human conduct that is unregulated by the law. Where the law is silent, the citizen is free to do any(prenominal) it is he chooses to do. For Rousseau, law is the very beginning of our freedom, but we are free to the extent that we are participants in the laws that we in turn obey.Freedom means acting in conformity to self-imposed law. A difference between two very different conceptions of liberty Liberal vs. Republican Rousseau makes heroic and unreasonable assumptions about human nature. Why would we like to get together and engage in debate about political matters. Human nature and our capacity to engage in debate. Unless everyone is engaged in the process of legislation, there is no way to know that the laws are really an expression of my will. You will find yourselves dependent on the will of others. Freedom from dependence.Aristotle reasoned approach basic goal of politics was to help society achieve the good life, create a society that allows its citizens to prosper adult male are seen as political animals and thus politicas as a force of nature citizens take place in politics, they are seen as the mother wit of the state and have a responsibility to the state, not all citizens are equal, but all want sovireign good citizens not posses what it takes to be good man polity= best form of government the rich rule over the rest by knowledge and democracy king should not have all the power, he should be the guardian of the law (has less power than plato and machs ruler) because of the seperatio n of powers legislative, executive and juidical less power and more mobility CITIZENS anyone can embark in politics (must participate) By nature everyone has the capacity of reason and is able to participate in politics Slaves are legit they are the means of labor so that everyone else can participate in politics Ruled by virtue, moral and reason Education can change conslitation for progess because children are taught from boyish age to reason, (public learning) Bartering=natural Aristotle- Politics Human beingnesss are political animals. baffling relation between economics and politics Role of labour and role of commerce The political community is designed to promote human well-to-do Happiness is a life of activity expressing virtue Essence of governmental rule ruling and being ruled The highest community is the political community Without law man is the worst of animals and law depends for its existence on the state.In aver to meet our needs we must interact with na ture to get the results we want. establish is a process, not an activity. Work is enslaving, provided by necessity Some people are fit for being slaves, others are fit for ruling. It is only natural that things are that way. Man is a political animal, that needs to live in a community. Trade is necessary, and therefore there is a need for a division of labour. Property is those goods need to develop their ability to develop a virtuous life Surplus has to be exchanged. Profit making is the following of false wealth (capital)The Unconditionally best regime is the rule of the virtuous. innate value of political community is knowledge Aristotle criticizes Platos utopia, arguing that it gives excessively much unity to the state, and would make the state into an individual. A government is good when it aims at the good of the whole community, bad when it cares only for itself. trustworthy Governments fully grown Governments Monarchy Tyranny (Worse) Aristocracy Oligarchy Constitutio nal government (polity) country (Least worse) Citizenship is defined by participation in office and in ruling. Political rule is ascendancy of free people ublic life is far more virtuous than the private practiced citizen vs. good man Aristotle does not have a conception of an absolute good and has a more matrial account of morality. rights Machiavelli use dissembling and illusion for the weaken purpose of economic ends of the state prince must be immoral opportunitst, people should never know the real him, but this creates a high risk of being seen as bad leader overall the lead is not a good one because you cannot rule you people with immoral action ends justify means goal of politics to hold up power and stableness citizen must obey ruler and do as one told, no room for citizen participation in politics equality does not exist prince must be loved and feared progress for the state = improving means of production (capitalism) Virtue fortune/luck is half(a) our acti ons always appear virtuous one capacity to meet political life and control it for the greater good of the state not for the pursuit of morality priority of security over morality price must be immoral when need be, to ensure the state security benevolence vs compassion Machiavelli-Power A good ruler is not always good he is good when he has to be but is cruel when the home requires it. Leader or prince must have virtu a strike out of qualities necessary to be a politician worthy of praise ask to be able to not be good He attacks layman moralists and the Christian ideals of morality The prince must have courage to do any(prenominal) it takes to get what he needs. Small evils to prevent greater evils Political stability is a condition for a private moral life domestic help sphere is the domain of morality. Role of the state is to ensure security Prince must be a realist Acquisition of power is important How is power won, scattered and maintained is the main foc us of The Prince No traditional idea of legitimate power To achieve political ends, power is necessary. Fortuna, it is good to do whatever is required to obtain power. Appear to be good to the general public We admire the virtuous leaders No hard rules in politics, no political formulas Skill, assertive independence is necessary to have political power. nation want power, mainly self interested Stability, is important Glory is not a bad thing, it is actually praiseworthy The Prince must try to master Fortuna as much as he possibly can Hobbes- Leviathan The Sovereign is not the direct expression of individual rules but an abstraction of the natural relish to rule Hobbes wants us to abstain from politics by agreeing to be ruled by this artificial man or sovereign For by art is created the Great Leviathan, commonwealth Trade liberty for security Liberty under Hobbes sovereign is whatever is not restricted by law. human in the state of nature are in a regular state o f state of war, everything belongs to Society and political community is artificial Human equality in nature nobody is superior to another What makes authority feasible? What is the source of authority?What makes legitimate authority possible? How can individuals who are biologically autonomous, who judge and see matters differently, who can never be sure whether they can trust one another, how can such individuals accept a common authority? That is the fundamental question of the social contract tradition. When is authority in question? True in Hobbes time of civil war Hobbes tells a story he tells the story about something he calls the state of nature. Hobbes will always be associated with the idea of the state of nature. It is not the biblical account of Eden, nor is it a political condition like maintained by Aristotle. Sovereigns main function is to make us equal The state of nature is not a condition of actual fighting, but a known disposition of actual fighting. His claim that the state of war is a condition that we are naturally in, is to say that nature does not unite us. If nature is a norm, it does not mandate us to peace, friendship and solidarity with others. Only art and human relations can bring about peace. Authority and relations are the product of contrivance and art. Plato moral guidance, not legal obidence philosopher king rule over all with rationality (rational part of soul rules over honor searching and appeitive) must make the state a utopia all work together for the common good of the state- seek harmony children are all raised together and educated together soverign is essential because it takes the best people in society and puts them in power ruler acts as moral guider for other social classes philosopher kings determine justice and law because of their unique virtue (rationality) each individual serves as a purpose in society, according to certain qualification (rationality, honor, appetite) that makes them m ore suited to a particular task (ruler, auxiliary, worker) without the philosopher king men fall pity to their desires and appeitiess(greed) the state acts as a check for the passions of individuals humans want what is intrinstically good, while they are capable of commiting wrong, this is because of some appetitie/desire rather than some deformity there exists no equality, there is a social raise in which you are born into everyone is guided by the philosopher king beacuase they posses the ultimate truth, without them the blueprint person would not know how to act in socity and would fall quarry to passions and selfishness humans want what is best, therefore listen to higher good justice throught strength, philosophy and doing good to friends Property plato fails to identify population increase and other countries boundarys Plato- Republic What is justice? Is it appearing just but really being unjust? Is it the rule of the strongest? Move away from ordinary definitions of justice. Perfect judge vs. Perfect injustice The Necessary myths religion. Myths are not true but they are helpful in a society to keep order. statuesque lie Allegory of the cave The world of appearances is only a mirror image of the pure realm of forms. The best life is the one spent contemplating the fundamental laws of the universe. The Philosophers must be kings, also called guardians. Their role is to overlook everything in society is working correctly, and in order to do this they must be philosophers. Rulers must live in commune, share everything in order that their desires are fulfill and they can dedicate full attention to the city. We are born with natural keenitudes and we should become that to which our natural aptitude fits best. Perfect city harmony and order Noble lie Gold people are the most apt to lead and become guardians.Silver people are merchants and traders, and bronze people are craftsmen. People can only mate with a person of the homogeneous c ategory. The skill of a guardian/ruler is similar to that of craftsman. The state is the guardians craft so he should be prepared to deal with it appropriately. country is cause of conflict because most people are not suited to rule or make political decisions. Mastery according to nature Justice minding your own business. Women are not naturally middle-level to men. The form of the Good is higher than justice, and requires extensive training to grasp it. accuracy exists independent of time and space. Justice is a relation among individuals, depending on social organization and that in consequence it can be studied better as part of the social structure of a community than as a quality of personal conduct. Men are acquisitive, ambitious, competitive, and jealous by nature. Democracy ruins itself by excess of democracy. Its basic principle is the equal right of all to hold office and determine public policy. People are not properly equipped by education to select the best rulers and the wisest courses. To understand politics, we must understand psychology. Like man, like state Human expression flows from desire, emotion and knowledge. Desire, appetite, impulse instinct, these are one emotion, spirit, ambition, courage another eventually knowledge, thought, intellect, reason, these are another. Statesmanship is a science and an art. Only a philosopher king is fitted to guide a nation. Education should be physical as well as intellectual, and musical. Justice is about organizing the political community so everyone can live the good life. Perfect organization of the city so each individual can develop his or her own nature any individual is the product of the city People are slaves to their own desires Good life=contemplation The perfect ruler has knowledge of the Good, and designs all laws and institutions in according with the Good. Whats missing is a fundamental knowledge of the structure of the world. The confine of reality is own hum an nature. City Timocracy Love of honor, desire of treasure. Good=Honor Oligarchy Regime founded on Prosperity. Good=Money Democracy Rule by the multitude. Good=Freedom Tyranny Takes power, wages war, enslaves the people. Good=Desires of tyrant