Political Science 1020E Lecture Notes - Lecture 3: Rational Choice Theory, Morality
17 Sep 2016
School
Department
Course
Professor
Document Summary
Lecture 3 the state of nature: hobbes. Required reading: wolff, introduction to political philosophy, chapter 1, pp. State of nature = a world without government. Worried by the english civil war, thought his country was falling into state of nature. Book written by hobbes establishing social theory contract. In the absence of government, human nature will inevitably bring us into severe conflict. Powerful state is needed to avoid disastrous interpersonal conflict. To understand human nature, you must first understand "body" or matter, of which we are entirely composed. Adoption of galileo"s principle of the conservation of motion. When something is in motion, it will eternally be in motion, unless something else forces it to change direction. Helped hobbes develop a materialist, mechanist view of things. Continual success in achieving the objects of desire. Humans are always searching for something, never at rest. Search to secure felicity will bring humans to state of nature.
