Calvin and Hobbes

The Swimmer Nature. “The phenomena of the physical world collectively, including plants, animals, the landscape, and other features and products of the earth, as opposed to humans or human creations.” That defi-nition sets up two contrasts that are central in The Swimmer by S.J. Butler: man vs. nature. In order to explain how the two perform side by side in this short story, I will analyze setting and the devel-opment in the protagonist of the story as well as symbolism of a few somethings. The…

In the Second Discourse on Inequality, Jean Jacque Rousseau outlined the origin and development of private property. The formation of the hut is the first step towards the ultimate creation of society as families and communities start to form. Unlike savage man who’s primary motivation was self-preservation, civilized man embraced amour propre as they begin to compare their strengths and abilities of others. Although Rousseau argues that the invention of private property is not natural, it is…

“There is a sufficiency in the world for a man’s need, but not a man’s greed.” - Mahatma Gandhi. In the world, one’s greed will never be satisfied and leads to extreme selfishness. Not only is this true in the world, but it is also true when speaking about a dystopian story with a corrupt government. In the book, Fahrenheit 451, Ray Bradbury writes about how Mildred, the government and society and Montag are all examples of selfishness. Ray Bradbury first describes how Mildred is selfish in the…

Can man live in the state of nature in a society? In John Locke’s Second Treatise of Government, he explains that the Law of Nature governs the state of nature and teaches mankind. Locke also states that in order to be a part of society man must own property, namely land. Without the land he cannot be a part of a society. However, a society is not a government. A government protects the rights and property of the society through laws. Man cannot exist solely in the state of nature; in order to…

What happens when a man gains complete control over another man’s life? Even if that man is kind and giving, what does it say about a man who owns another man’s existence; his life, his death, every part of him? To mold another man in an experiment and take away that which makes him human is undoubtedly inhumane. In The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing by M.T. Anderson, Mr. Gitney, who also goes by Mr. 03-01, does just that. In an effort to prove whether or not African and Caucasian people…

Hobbes’ central aim in his Leviathan is to provide an explanation of why the state exists, but most importantly why it is justified in telling us what to do. To answer these questions, he imagines a world without political institutions, therefore in a state of nature. In chapter thirteen, he describes how this state of nature leads to a state of “every man against every man” (Hobbes, 1651: 84). Indeed, Hobbes’ thesis first provides the assumption that all men are equal, in the sense they have…

of Hobbes and Locke with Cyberbullying The two philosophers Thomas Hobbes and John Locke are known as a result of their opinions about government as well as their different views of human nature. Locke believes that natural law tells an individual what they can or cannot achieve, trusting that people are good enough to govern themselves. Locke also describes the state of nature as perfect freedom following the law of nature. Having a larger negative view of human nature than Locke did, Hobbes…

In the Leviathan by Thomas Hobbes, he discusses the natural condition of mankind and the establishment of the commonwealth through social contract. The necessity of a commonwealth can be justified by the vices of human nature. He claims that in the natural condition, all men have a restless desire for power; thus, life in the natural condition is “nasty, brutish and short” (76). However, an alternative to the natural condition is the establishment of a commonwealth. A commonwealth is necessary…

Power, the ability to control, dictate, and manipulate whatever we see fit to benefit ourselves. Power is one of mankind’s most coveted items In which we can obtain, and going to unethical measures to obtain it, if necessary. The drive and desire for power will be mankind's demise. In Mary Shelley's novel Frankenstein, she demonstrates, through the use of her character's, how the drive and desire for power, corrupts, destroys, and is mankind’s demise. As Alexander Hamilton once said, “A…

Collectivism, Progressives, and their False Ideology The theory of collectivism (in all its variants) holds that man is not an end to himself, but is only a tool to serve the ends there. Collectivism, unlike individualism, holds the group as the principal or primary, and the standard of moral, ethical, and honorable value. Whether that group is a dictator’s gang, a nation, a society, a race, (the) god(s), a majority, a community, a tribe, etc., is irrelevant — the point is that man in principle…