Survival of the Self
One of Thomas Hobbes most well-known quotations is “the condition of man is the condition of war of everyone against everyone." In his work, Lord of the Flies, William Golding gives readers a glimpse of what members in society might become if social order or moral rules no longer existed. In his article, Introduction to the Social Contract Theory, Kevin Browne tells of the "four important factors which together conspire to put us at odds with one another unless we form some sort of social contract to mitigate these factors." These factors include: equality of need, scarcity of those needs, equality of human power, and limited altruism.
The first step in Maslow's hierarchy of needs is physiological needs, which include: metabolic requirements and protection from the elements. The first factor Browne introduces to us is equality of need. The stranded boys in Lord of the Flies share their basic, human needs. They have the clothes on their backs and lack adult supervision, clean water, an immediate food source, and shelter. Seeing this, they know must form a type of government. Focusing on a diplomatic system, they vote to elect a leader, Ralph. He explores …show more content…
Piggy cares for the boys, wanting them to feel accepted. He's the islands very own Good Samaritan. Simon, is kind and helps Ralph, while he could be off swimming or having fun. This quality makes him an altruist. Sadly, we all have limits on how selfless we can be. Sooner or later, our friendliness wears out. In the beginning, "Jack and Ralph [smile] at each other with shy liking" (Golding 17). By the end, only a short time later, Jack was hunting Ralph. His selfish desires to hunt, kill, and have fun turned him into a cold-hearted egoist just as Hobbes had predicted it
One of Thomas Hobbes most well-known quotations is “the condition of man is the condition of war of everyone against everyone." In his work, Lord of the Flies, William Golding gives readers a glimpse of what members in society might become if social order or moral rules no longer existed. In his article, Introduction to the Social Contract Theory, Kevin Browne tells of the "four important factors which together conspire to put us at odds with one another unless we form some sort of social contract to mitigate these factors." These factors include: equality of need, scarcity of those needs, equality of human power, and limited altruism.
The first step in Maslow's hierarchy of needs is physiological needs, which include: metabolic requirements and protection from the elements. The first factor Browne introduces to us is equality of need. The stranded boys in Lord of the Flies share their basic, human needs. They have the clothes on their backs and lack adult supervision, clean water, an immediate food source, and shelter. Seeing this, they know must form a type of government. Focusing on a diplomatic system, they vote to elect a leader, Ralph. He explores …show more content…
Piggy cares for the boys, wanting them to feel accepted. He's the islands very own Good Samaritan. Simon, is kind and helps Ralph, while he could be off swimming or having fun. This quality makes him an altruist. Sadly, we all have limits on how selfless we can be. Sooner or later, our friendliness wears out. In the beginning, "Jack and Ralph [smile] at each other with shy liking" (Golding 17). By the end, only a short time later, Jack was hunting Ralph. His selfish desires to hunt, kill, and have fun turned him into a cold-hearted egoist just as Hobbes had predicted it