Social contract theory, theories of justice, and core arguments about the state and legitimate authority from Hobbes to Rawls.
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- What does Hobbes describe the state of nature as?
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A war of all against all, where life is solitary, poor, nasty, brutish, and short.- According to Hobbes, why do people leave the state of nature?
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Fear of death and desire for self-preservation drive them to establish a sovereign power.- What is the Leviathan in Hobbes' political theory?
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An absolute sovereign power created by people through a social contract to enforce peace and order.- Does Hobbes believe the sovereign is bound by the social contract?
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No, the sovereign stands outside the contract and cannot violate it.- What natural right does Hobbes say everyone retains in civil society?
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The right to self-defense against threats to life.- How does Locke's state of nature differ from Hobbes' version?
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Locke's is relatively peaceful and governed by natural law, not a war of all against all.- What are the three natural rights Locke identifies?
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Life, liberty, and property.- According to Locke, how do people acquire property?
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By mixing their labor with natural resources.- What role does consent play in Locke's theory of legitimate government?
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Government is legitimate only when it has the consent of the governed.- What is Locke's doctrine of separation of powers?
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Government power should be divided among legislative, executive, and federative (foreign policy) branches.- What is the general will in Rousseau's political theory?
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The collective desire of the people for the common good, which is always right and tends toward equality.- According to Rousseau, what is lost when humans leave the state of nature?
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Natural freedom and natural goodness, replaced by moral freedom and dependence on civil society.- What does Rousseau mean by popular sovereignty?
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Ultimate political power resides in the people, not a monarch or elite.- What is amour-propre in Rousseau's philosophy?
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Excessive self-love and comparison to others, which corrupts natural human compassion and creates inequality.- How does Rousseau characterize the natural man?
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As solitary, peaceful, naturally compassionate, and motivated by self-preservation rather than vanity.
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