Political Science 1020E Lecture Notes - Lecture 3: Rationality, Thomas Hobbes, Thought Experiment
28 Dec 2017
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Political science lecture #3: why we need the state. Why we need the state: read swift 11-31. According to the preferred definition of politics from the last lecture, politics (test) Sept 17: necessarily involves violence, requires strong leaders, is a way of dealing with conflict (right, is best left to the experts, is better than sex. Imagine life without the state and political power. Powerful state is needed to avoid disastrous interpersonal conflict. Power=ones present means to obtain ones future apparent good. Predominantly self-regarding= people are going to look out for their own best interest. Laws of nature: negative version of the golden rule: don"t do to others what you wouldn"t want them to do to you. Third law: perform your covenants (a promise like (cid:498)ill do this for you if you do that for me(cid:499)) Fundamental law: seek peace, if you can get it. Second law: lay down (hand it over) your natural right, if others do too.
