PHL105Y5 Lecture Notes - Lecture 4: English Civil War, Limited Government, Rationality
Document Summary
The natural condition of man and mankind: what people should and should not be allowed to do, leviathan written during english civil war. Why do we need a government: it is something society will always need, a limited government would be intrinsically instable. Human beings are naturally equal in intelligence and physical ability: physical equality. The weakest woman can take out the strongest man. The weak can wait for the strong one to fall asleep (for example) before striking. An agreement can be made with bodyguards: we can threaten each other"s survival. We are inclined to survive: mental equality. Prudence the skill of pursuing self interest in an intelligent way. We see our own wisdom close up. We see the wisdom of others from a distance: thus we always value ourselves highly. Our natural goals: survival, driven to pursue delight. Rarely is it possible: hobbes thinks this is impossible. There are three factors that prevent harmony: competition.
