Perspectives on Human Nature and Government

1
Perspectives on Human Nature and Government

• Hobbes, Locke, and Rousseau

2
Opening Questions

• Are humans inherently good? Why?
• What makes humans good/bad? Why?
• Why do we have/need government or rules for
  society (if we even do)?

3
Thomas Hobbes (1588-1679)

• Social order is created by humans. Therefore,
  they can change it.

Without government, society would be solitary,
poor, nasty, brutish, and short!
4
Thomas Hobbes

• People need order.
• People will be willing to give up individual
  liberties to maintain peace.

• The social contract is an agreement to obey the
  laws.
• But, human nature will not allow this to happen!
• Thus, the need for authoritarian government.

5
John Locke (1632-1704)

• Locke observed that, in society, people were
  rewarded based upon their industriousness.
• But, people should not accumulate too much money,
  otherwise society could become a horrible place.
• He proposed (like Hobbes before him) that people
  needed a sense of order. But how to achieve
  order while maximizing individual liberties?

6
John Locke

• Locke stressed the moral imperative that
  prevented humans from pursuing a free-for-all.
• A moral imperative is a principle originating
  inside a person's mind that compels him to act.

7
John Locke

• In Locke's philosophy, tabula rasa is the theory
  that data is added to the human mind and rules
  for processing are formed solely by one's sensory
  experiences.
• As understood by Locke, tabula rasa emphasizes
  the individual's freedom to author his or her own
  soul. Each individual is free to define the
  content of his or her character.

8
Jean-Jacques Rousseau (1712-1778)

• Human nature is basically good
• Admired the noble savage humans living in a
  state of simple freedom governing themselves
  compassionate
• Society civilization are corrupting forces on
  the individual
• Society robs us of our freedom makes us
  bloodthirsty

9
Jean-Jacques Rousseau

• Agreed with Hobbes Social Contract mutual
  agreement to protect the rights of everyone not
  only the wealthy.
• No person is above
  the law.

10
Jean-Jacques Rousseau

• "Man is born free and everywhere he is in
  chains."

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• Hobbes (1588-1679)
• Without government, society would be solitary,
  poor, nasty, brutish,
• and short!
• Without society, man would live in a state of
  nature, where we each
• have unlimited natural freedoms.
• Humanity needs the Social Contract in which
  individuals honor the
• rights of others but lose certain freedoms.
  Unfortunately, human
• nature will not allow this to happen (we are
  essentially greedy and
• egocentric), thus, the need for authoritarian
  government.
• Locke (1632-1704)
• -People need a sense of order.
• Humans are born as blank slates (tabula rasa),
  which means society can instill proper morality,
  and thus, a conscience.
• Tabula rasa also implies self-determination and
  nurture in the nature vs. nurture debate.
• Rousseau (1712-1778)
• -Believed in the concept of the Noble Savage, in
  which humans come from a state of compassionate
  simplicity.
• -Believed that Human Nature is essentially good.
• -Pride and civilization distance humanity from
  its original, natural state of goodness. "Man is
  born free and everywhere he is in chains."
• -Agreed with Hobbes Social Contract, but felt
  more optimistic of its success.

12

• Hobbes (1588-1679)
• Without government, society would be solitary,
  poor, nasty, brutish,
• and short!
• Without society, man would live in a state of
  nature, where we each
• have unlimited natural freedoms.
• State of nature leads to Right to all things"
  and thus the freedom
• to harm all who threaten one's own
  self-preservation
• Right to all Things leads to War of all
  against all" (Bellum omnium
• contra omnes), and thus chaos, anarchy, end of
  the world-type stuff.
• Humanity needs the Social Contract in which
  individuals honor the
• rights of others but lose certain freedoms.
  Unfortunately, human
• nature will not allow this to happen (we are
  essentially greedy and
• egocentric), thus, the need for authoritarian
  government.

13

• Locke (1632-1704)
• People need a sense of order.
• Society avoids chaos because of the Moral
  Imperative.
• The Moral Imperative is based on conscience
  (God).
• Humans are born as blank slates (tabula rasa),
  which
• means society can instill proper morality, and
  thus, a
• conscience.
• Tabula rasa also implies self-determination and
  
• nurture in the nature vs. nurture debate.

14

• Rousseau (1712-1778)
• Believed in the concept of the Noble Savage, in
  which
• humans come from a state of compassionate
  simplicity.
• Believed that Human Nature is essentially good.
  
• Pride and civilization distance humanity from
  its original,
• natural state of goodness. "Man is born free
  and
• everywhere he is in chains."
• Agreed with Hobbes Social Contract, but felt
  more
• optimistic of its success.

15
Which theory does Shelley seem to follow in
Frankenstein?

• Hobbes (1, 4) Humans inherently bad need
  society to balance competing self-interests
• Locke (2, 5) Humans are blank slate morality
  can be instilled by society
• Rousseau (3,6) Humans are born good
  civilization drives us away from goodness

16
In your groups

• Generate an open-ended discussion question about
  the monster that focuses on society, nature v.
  nurture, etc.
• As a group, answer your question from your
  philosophers perspective and come up with
  responses to others critiques of your argument
• Each group will assign a leader to lead the class
  in a brief (3-4 minute) discussion of your
  question.