Unit 1 Lesson 2 9/6/2024
What is the purpose of the government?
Government- the system to govern a state or community
Human nature- traits of personality and character
State of nature- any situation where no government has no recognized authority to
make and enforce rules and manage conflicts. The state of nature is a hypothetical
condition that describes humanity before civilization and laws. It may be considered
anarchy and a condition without government or rule of law.
Social contract- when a group of people agree to give up certain rights and accept
a central authority to protect their other rights
Classic republicanism-The ideals and practices of ancient Greek or Roman
city-states that emphasized civic participation and the responsibility of citizens for
the well-being of their polity or country
,social contract - an agreement between the government and the governed regarding
power limits on both parties.
Are all people selfish, or do they tend to care for the good of others?
It depends on how that person treats others.
Enlightenment philosophy
What was the Enlightenment?
Definition: It was a period of education where people challenged old ideas.
What kinds of government existed in Europe in the 1600s?
Monarchies and dictatorships
What does “without law, there is no freedom” mean?
Without a government, nobody is free.
Thomas Hobbes (1588-1679)
● a natural rights philosopher, humans are not naturally social and traced
government to an imaginary state of nature.
● Stated nature gives rise to a “war of every man against every man”and
that they should join together to create a social contract
● Social contract- where people would consent to an authoritarian state
● To maintain an orderly, stable, and peaceful state, the Leviathan state must
rule mainly by fear.
● Wrote the Leviathan in 1651.
● Suggested humanity without a government would be warlike, brutish, and
short-lived.
, ● Humanity accepts a social contract with a sovereign authority for protection,
order, and peace to escape nature’s misery.
The state of nature lacks protected human rights; it’s up to individuals to regulate
themselves. Hobbes believed life in the state of nature was brutish and short-lived.
A social contract is an agreement between the government and the governed
regarding power limits on both parties.
A social contract implies that people surrender certain freedoms for a peaceful
society. Without a social contract, human beings would live in a “state of nature”
without the rule of law and survival of the fittest. Hobbes suggested people make a
social contract with a ruler and agree to be ruled by them in exchange for
protection because the state of nature was brutal.
John Locke (1632-1704)
● He read Hobbes’book and was influenced by his teachings
● Believed all men were created free and equal and were born with natural
rights
● Believed in separation of the Church and state/toleration
● His ideas influenced the French, American, and Latin American Revolutions
Natural Rights
● Thomas Hobbes believed that if people wanted to live peacefully, they had to
give up some freedoms.
● John Locke considered life, liberty, and poverty the three most important
natural rights the government must protect.
John Locke’s Social Contract
What is the purpose of the government?
Government- the system to govern a state or community
Human nature- traits of personality and character
State of nature- any situation where no government has no recognized authority to
make and enforce rules and manage conflicts. The state of nature is a hypothetical
condition that describes humanity before civilization and laws. It may be considered
anarchy and a condition without government or rule of law.
Social contract- when a group of people agree to give up certain rights and accept
a central authority to protect their other rights
Classic republicanism-The ideals and practices of ancient Greek or Roman
city-states that emphasized civic participation and the responsibility of citizens for
the well-being of their polity or country
,social contract - an agreement between the government and the governed regarding
power limits on both parties.
Are all people selfish, or do they tend to care for the good of others?
It depends on how that person treats others.
Enlightenment philosophy
What was the Enlightenment?
Definition: It was a period of education where people challenged old ideas.
What kinds of government existed in Europe in the 1600s?
Monarchies and dictatorships
What does “without law, there is no freedom” mean?
Without a government, nobody is free.
Thomas Hobbes (1588-1679)
● a natural rights philosopher, humans are not naturally social and traced
government to an imaginary state of nature.
● Stated nature gives rise to a “war of every man against every man”and
that they should join together to create a social contract
● Social contract- where people would consent to an authoritarian state
● To maintain an orderly, stable, and peaceful state, the Leviathan state must
rule mainly by fear.
● Wrote the Leviathan in 1651.
● Suggested humanity without a government would be warlike, brutish, and
short-lived.
, ● Humanity accepts a social contract with a sovereign authority for protection,
order, and peace to escape nature’s misery.
The state of nature lacks protected human rights; it’s up to individuals to regulate
themselves. Hobbes believed life in the state of nature was brutish and short-lived.
A social contract is an agreement between the government and the governed
regarding power limits on both parties.
A social contract implies that people surrender certain freedoms for a peaceful
society. Without a social contract, human beings would live in a “state of nature”
without the rule of law and survival of the fittest. Hobbes suggested people make a
social contract with a ruler and agree to be ruled by them in exchange for
protection because the state of nature was brutal.
John Locke (1632-1704)
● He read Hobbes’book and was influenced by his teachings
● Believed all men were created free and equal and were born with natural
rights
● Believed in separation of the Church and state/toleration
● His ideas influenced the French, American, and Latin American Revolutions
Natural Rights
● Thomas Hobbes believed that if people wanted to live peacefully, they had to
give up some freedoms.
● John Locke considered life, liberty, and poverty the three most important
natural rights the government must protect.
John Locke’s Social Contract
