Civil society

Baron de la Brede et de Montesquieu (1689-1775) Montesquieu disagreed with both Hobbes and Locke because Hobbes and Locke both describe a “presocial” nature and this to Montesquieu was futile (p.15), and in order to understand society we must understand it through observation. Montesquieu discussed three types of government; Republic, Monarchy and Despotism (p.15). “In a Republic, individuals are citizens and are therefore equal. In a Monarchy, the principle of honour produces hierarchies of…

Sovereign) in order to live peacefully in a civil society. Hobbes emphasizes a universal freedom; natural equality; and justice, shared within— and between— all men of the state, which is why all rational men should consent to being governed or else be in a constant state of civil war. Thus, every man (i.e. contractors) that consents to being governed gives up his natural right to everything, which Hobbes claims is the only way to gain personal security within a society.…

arena of competition” and human beings become victims of the state of nature to always be in competition with others and consider each other our opponents due to society norms. For example, children aren’t born evil, in Child Psychology, children are more prone to learn languages and emotions faster at a younger age, and if the society has a set of competitive norms laid out for the child, he/she will definitely pick it up at an early age and this competitive nature will remain intact in their…

The state of nature is a theory used in moral and political philosophy, belief, social contract theories and universal law in order to specify the estimated circumstances regarding what humanity was like before societies came into existence. Locke and Hobbes were both social contract theorists and shared a similarity of both being interested in natural law. Natural law theorists anticipated that under natures circumstances, man was measured as a social animal. However, Hobbes differed from the…

Thomas Hobbes wrote Leviathan during the English Civil War, promoting the necessity of sovereignty in order to achieve a functional society. With the influence of Francis Bacon and Niccolò Machiavelli, Hobbes presented his theories through empiricism and the social dynamics of power. Hobbes’ philosophy is a denial of classical teachings and the acceptance of science or the new age of reason. Hobbes devotes chapters in the Leviathan to even explicitly go against traditional Aristotle teachings.…

Throughout the French Revolution, new ideas arose from the resentment and discontent with the French Monarchy and exploitation of French peasantry. The National Assembly was formed to give the third estate a voice, and with the heavy influence by Jeffersonian Liberalism and the Enlightenment, the representatives of the third estate created the “Declaration of the Rights of Man and Citizen.” This document addressed many of the issues concerning the equality amongst the estates and the need to…

an individual for a long period of time, like property, money in the bank, a large home, etc., keeps a healthy relationship between an individual and society. Some may be in denial that humans are materialistic and competitive, but they are living a naive life. The economy thrives on people’s consumer needs, which can only be possible in a society of competition but equal oppertunity. At the raw this may seem cruel. But it is how human nature established…

Ultimately, one would be better off rejecting the government and returning to the State of Nature, with hopes of constructing a better civil government in the future. Jean-Jacques Rousseau had two complementary social contract theories. The first one, clearly expressed in his Discourse on the Origin and Foundations of Inequality Among Men (Second Discourse), and the second one on The…

Modern day society is comprised of humans who have progressed from the original state of nature. In this civilization process, inequalities of rank, power, wealth and sexes have resulted. For Rousseau, the activation of the dormant reason, as the society emerged from the state of nature to civil state gave rise to the inequalities. While Rousseau blames the reason, Wollstonecraft arguing for the women, encourages them to use reason to bring down the oppression, which is largely due to deficient…

would be in the best interests of the citizens. It is only by attempting to achieve this state that people would be able to best retain their freedom and humanity while existing within a society that enables them to succeed in a modern world. It is possible to maintain a sense of freedom and choice within a civil society; doing so just require a conscious adaptation of the self to a larger…