Social Philosophy

1
Social Philosophy

• Social philosophy is not ethics, because it is
  not concerned with identifying a norm of good
  conduct nor is it politics, because it is not
  concerned with describing how power is expressed
  in institutions. Instead, it evaluates
  institutional power in terms of moral principles
• Issues how are individuals related to society?
• how is State authority justified?
• what is the role of government and law?
• what are justice, civil rights, freedom?

2
Thomas Hobbes (1588-1679)

• Fear of others in the state of nature
  (apart from society) prompts people
  to form governments through a social contract
• State power/authority (the sovereign) is based on
  the choice of subjects that there be one will.
  Since the sovereign determines what is right,
  rebellion against the sovereign is unjustified
• As brutal as a State may be, it is always better
  than having no State or government

3
John Locke (1632-1704)

• We have God-given rights to our
  lives, liberty, property (e.g., bodies)
• We establish governments to clarify protect our
  natural rights. State authority is thus based on
  the consent of the people, who can rebel against
  the State if it fails to respect our rights
• Tacit consent is given by anyone who lives in a
  country and is protected by its laws

4
Jean-Jacques Rousseau (1712-78)

• I am obligated to obey the law only if
  it is self-imposed. Externally-imposed laws are
  based on force and are not morally legitimate
• The social contract is our tacit agreement to
  abide by the general will, which is what we all
  will for ourselves as members of a community
• Objection consent is often uninformed and
  unavoidable (Hume)