PSYC 3103 Chapter Notes - Chapter 23: Bertrand Russell, The Prime Mover, Ecological Niche
20 Oct 2020
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17th and 18th centuries: divine right of kings questioned. The state of nature countered by a social contract . Nature: all are motivated by self-preservaton instinct to dominate. Others while maintaining their own freedom: war of all against all. Homo homini lupus: humans behave toward others like wolves. Contract: established out of fear as peace treaty to end universal war. Task of state: maintain law and order, best by authoritarian absolute. Nature: people lived together according to reason and natural law: Task of state: get out of the way, allow natural human free expression. Living things reproduce faster than nature can provide. Survival of the fittest: those who best fit with environment tend to. Result: struggle for existence: the prime mover of evolution. This is not however an active struggle between individual animals. Imagine two giraffe ancestors, one with a long neck and one with a short neck. In ordinary life, long-neck and short-neck do not conflict.
