Political Philosophers Hobbes Rousseau Locke Montesquieu CICERO 2011

What is Political Philosophy? • Political Philosophy is the study of social organizations and the relationship between the individual and society. • A political philosopher might ponder questions such as: – What is the ideal form of government? – What are the root causes of society’s problems? – What is freedom? – What is liberty? – What gives any government the right to rule? – What are the characteristics of a good or just society? CICERO © 2011

Roots in Ancient Greece • Political Philosophy can be traced back more than two millennia to Ancient Greece. • The word philosophy comes from the Greek word philosophia, which means “love of wisdom. ” • The word political comes from the Greek word politikos, which means “of, or pertaining to the polis. ” School of Athens Raphael CICERO © 2011

Thomas Hobbes 1588 – 1679 A. D. • Thomas Hobbes is often considered the founder of modern political philosophy. • He lived and formulated many of his philosophical views during the English Civil War. • Hobbes explains his view of human nature in his book Leviathan (1651): – Human beings are self-interested – Human beings are rational – Our ability to reason is an instrument of our self-interest: It allows us to figure out the best way to get what we want. CICERO © 2011 In the 1620 s, Hobbes worked as Francis Bacon’s personal secretary. Like Bacon, Hobbes believed that advancements in scientific knowledge would improve people’s lives.

Thomas Hobbes 1588 – 1679 A. D. • Hobbes is the first political thinker to fully explore the social contract theory. • To develop this theory, Hobbes begins by describing life before government, a theoretical time and place which he calls the state of nature: – Since man is self-interested, and since resources are limited, life in the state of nature would be brutal. – Everyone would live in constant fear because they can not trust one another and their future can never be certain. • Since man is also rational, and since life in this environment is so brutal, it follows that a person should try to leave the state of nature, as soon as possible. CICERO © 2011

Thomas Hobbes 1588 – 1679 A. D. • To escape the state of nature, people entered into a social contract: – they agreed to give up some of their rights and to assume some responsibilities in exchange for law and order. • Once people entered into the contract, they needed someone to enforce it. • For Hobbes, a strong monarch with absolute power was necessary to enforce the contract and keep order. CICERO © 2011 Since the state of nature was a state of war, one must seek a state of peace; Since the state of nature is an environment with no law, a state of peace must be one where there is law. If an environment is ruled by law, it is a place where people do not have a right to all things. In order to get out of the state of nature, people had to give up some of their rights and to assume certain responsibilities.

John Locke 1632 – 1704 A. D. • John Locke was an English physician and philosopher. • He combined his medical observations with his political experiences to develop ideas about human nature and government. • Locke explained his ideas in his most famous work, Two Treatises of Civil Government (1690) • Like Hobbes, Locke begins his explanation by examining life in a “State of Nature. ” CICERO © 2011 Like Algernon Sidney, Locke wrote his first treatise in opposition to Robert Filmer’s Patriarcha.

John Locke 1632 – 1704 A. D. • According to Locke, God gave man: – Rights to life, liberty, and property (which he calls Natural Rights) – the Earth: to use to preserve life – The ability to reason • In order to defend their “life, health, liberty, or possessions, ” people entered into a social contract, forming governments that existed – to protect individual rights and – to help resolve conflicts between citizens. CICERO © 2011

John Locke 1632 – 1704 A. D. • For Locke, all other political rights (free speech, free press, freedom of religion) depended on a government that guaranteed secure property rights. • If a government failed in its duties to protect the natural rights of life, liberty, and property, Locke believed the people had a right to overthrow it. • In this way, the power of the government does not come from God, but from the consent of the governed. CICERO © 2011

Charles de Montesquieu 1689 – 1755 A. D. • Montesquieu was an influential French philosophe. • In On the Spirit of Laws (1748), he compared different European governments and argued that: – the best government had a separation of powers: different powers are divided equally among separate branches. – each branch should have the ability to check the powers of the other two. – In this way, no person or group could become too powerful. • Montesquieu’s political theories had a profound impact on the framers of the U. S. Constitution. CICERO © 2011 Montesquieu believed that the English government was the best example of the separation of powers.

Jean-Jacques Rousseau 1712 – 1778 A. D. • Rousseau was a philosopher, novelist, and composer. • Rousseau argued that man, by nature, is basically good – For Rousseau, men are corrupted by the evils of civil society – including art, science, and technology. • In his 1762 treatise, The Social Contract, Rousseau presents his definition of good government: – Good government has the consent of the people and is guided by the “general will” – Citizens are part of a whole; the common good must be placed above self-interest. CICERO © 2011 Rousseau’s work inspired leaders of the French Revolution.