Calvin and Hobbes

explained by the writing of Thomas Hobbes and John Locke. Locke and Hobbes were both social contract theorists and natural law theorists. The first model that was debated between Hobbes and Locke was the state of nature. Hobbes had a bit negative view about the state of nature. Hobbes believed that man is naturally selfish, self-interested and always trying achieve power. According to him, any man’s basic interest was self-prevention. In the state of nature Hobbes pictures that we are in a…

1. Jean Hampton (1992) argues that instrumental conceptions of reason are “inescapably normative” (p.347). What this means is that theories that rely on instrumental conceptions of reason cannot escape from the normativity that exists in desires. Normativity in this case can refer to the concept of an “ideal” (p.344) human. The idea human is something that can be used to base our conceptions of good, bad, or irrational actions on. On one hand, A Hobbesian would suggest that “we ought to act…

Everyone loves a good laugh every now and again….. There are three main humor theories written by Freud, Hobbes, and Bergson covering everything from we laugh as a release mechanism to we laugh out of superiority. Sigmund Freud’s theory over humor serves the purpose to explain why we laugh at the times we do. In Freud’s theory he explains laughter as a release mechanism to let go of tension you may have. In his theory he describes how when a joke is being told tension builds up behind a…

the freedom of the Social Contract Theory requires. The golden rule of the Social Contract Theory, which is similar the the universal golden rule that is to treat others the way would want to be treated, according to the English Philosopher Thomas Hobbes is ‘‘Do not that to another, which thou wouldest not have done to thyself.” (Mizzoni, 2010, p. 380) The people behind the corporations who purposely deceive their customers would certainly not want the same thing done to them. Hedonism is…

Intro After reading The Leviathan by Hobbes and the Machiavelli’s The Prince and the Discourses I would argue that the two authors have a similar view on how fear is politically relevant. What makes fear relevant to Machiavelli and Hobbes is that they believe that fear is necessary for a sovereign or a prince to stay in power. The two authors also believe that it is needed to keep the subjects in check and to keep them complacent. Today however there are people who question if fear is…

Hobbes and Locke find themselves at a standoff upon the question of the benefits surrounding absolute sovereign power in relation to society. Hobbes argues against Locke that absolute sovereign powers will rule without malevolence toward their subjects, and power should not be spread beyond one person. He says the idea of sovereign power being “divided” (Leviathan, 29:12) “against the essence of the commonwealth” (29:12) since “powers divided mutually destroy one another” (29:12). Division goes…

Denhardt & Denhardt explain in Chapter One that the government should not be run like a business, it should be run like a democracy. In public administration, new developments have managers listening to the public and not making decisions without their consent and public employees enjoy working with the public and are using their professionalism to make a difference in peopl’s lives (Denhardt & Denhardt 2015). Denhardt & Denhardt explain that the old public administration concern itself with the…

While both stipulate that children love property and power, Locke and Rousseau differ in assumptions of human nature, which leads to different notions on why and when this love of property becomes dangerous. Locke believes that man is born with property, but is ‘tabula rasa’; thus childhood education should be the molding of natural tendencies to encourage a healthy society. Rousseau believes a man to inherently be self-sufficient, and is innately good until selfish motives from industrial…

1. How is the idea of a dictator used in Gattaca and The Lot to ensure the obedience of citizens? - The tyrant encourages individuals to strive for the same ideal as those around them, which inevitably leads to their discontent as they become fixated on their flaws whilst dismissing their individuality. - The dictator acts as a force that compels individuals to discriminate those who do not conform to society’s standards. - The oppressor urges individuals to disregard their self-worth and put…

“Two Treatises of Government” An essay Merhawi Bitsuamlak Inez van Soolingen Group number: 11 Words: 2103 Introduction John Locke, in his “Two Treatises of Government” defines political power as the right to make laws for the protection and regulation of property. In his view, these laws only work because the people accept them and because they are for the public good. He claims that all men are originally in a state of nature, which means that a man in this original state is bound by the…