Calvin and Hobbes

One of Hobbes’ central claims is that one should obey the laws of one’s state. His main argument surrounds the assertion that the presence of a sovereign is in the people’s best interest, so to go against the sovereign is to go against oneself. The fool objects to this, stating that it is sometimes rational for an agent to break their covenants and go against the sovereign, so long as it will benefit themselves. We will argue that Hobbes’ reply to the fool’s objection is insufficient and will…

1.0 Preliminaries 1.1. Introduction “Man by nature is a political animal” . Every man is responsible in everything that surrounds him. As man’s civilization started to flourish, the rise of different ideas and perspectives began. Through the years, human civilization started to progress. Thus, civilization did not only develop the culture of ancient humans but also their intellectual capability. Through the progress of intellectual capability, man’s way of living changes. Man as an…

One of the philosophers, John Locke was a supporter of equal rights within a governed society. Locke is best known for his idea of life, liberty and property. He was a strong believer and articulated that the government’s job is to secure these rights and its people. Locke was a social contract theorist. This means that the morals and political beliefs of people must be written in a contract in order for society to function at its best efficiency. John Locke was a religious man who believed in…

"Scientia potentia est" or “Knowledge is powerful.” Thomas Hobbes, a 17th century philosopher, wrote this phrase in his book, “Leviathan” that he published during the English Civil War in 1651. This book has become known as one of the most influential philosophical texts of its time. Hobbes wrote it based on fear he was having during the war so his aim was to show the essential need for a powerful authority to avert the evils of war. Hobbes predicts how life would be with the absence of…

The question “Do human belong within or apart from nature?” has been asked over several centuries. However, the answer for this question is not easy to address because it has been differing over time and place. To make it more sense when approaching this question, we should be familiar with two traditions of viewing nature which were proposed by Worster in his book “Nature’s Economy”. According to Worster, Arcadian view promotes a benign attitude towards nature and advocates a simple, humble…

John Locke was an English philosopher and a great rival of the political system that prevailed during his time, absolutism. Locke believed that humans before him lived in a world where civilizations were independent, sovereign and equal. In his Second Treatise of Government, Locke says, “To understand political power aright, we must consider what estate all men are naturally in, and that is, a state of perfect freedom to order their actions, and dispose of their possessions and persons as they…

I truly believe that genetics are by far one of the biggest factors in determining the action and/or morals of an individual. In this debate, I personally agree with Thomas Hobbes in the idea that the nature of man is evil and as he states, “Everything humans beings voluntarily do is for pleasure or for self-preservation.” I feel this concept is heavily shown through the fact that all human beings react differently if put in the same situation. This shows that even though one's environment will…

War has come to be the driving force of the people on Earth for several centuries. It serves the purpose of settling disputes, arguing for religion, or even fighting for unity. But, does war prove to be the only way to communicate between differences? Desiderius Erasmus, a Northern humanist born in the 15th century, and his ideas of peace still reverberate throughout the world. In many Renaissance paintings, common themes include war and religious difference. Paolo Uccello’s painting, The Battle…

Like Tocqueville, Mill was also concerned about the tyranny that a majority can form. But unlike the others, his concern was not just limited to the wrong exercise of the power by law makers over minorities but he was also apprehensive about the prevailing social opinion of the majority class over minority. In his view, the second type of tyranny is even more dangerous than first one. This is because exercising of power by majority in society or wrong use of power by them is usually upheld by…

Rebels throughout history have posed as a threat to society through challenging societal norms and advocating for something different, a change. In George Orwell’s novel, 1984, Winston Smith is a rebel who does not conform to the unconscious and homogeneous people of which society consists. Instead, Winston rebels through his acts of suspicion; however, he does not bring about reform but becomes one with society as humanity and individuality finally dissipates. The act of preserving humanity is…