Natural State College Essays Samples For Students

The concept of the natural state of man is discussed in detail by both Jonathan Swift and Daniel Defoe in their books Gulliver’s Travels and Robinson Crusoe respectively. While Swift takes the reader through his opinion of the natural state of man by describing the journey of Gulliver, Defoe does this through an evaluation of the life of Crusoe. However, despite appearing to focus on the same topic, the two hold divergent views on the same. Defoe appears to make a more compelling argument as compared to Swift in Gulliver’s travel because he appears to be more ...

Locke, like Hobbes, considers the individual as the basic element and treats the state as a result of the social contract between individuals, concluded in order to stop natural condition. The teaching about the natural state does not act as a theory about the appearance of the state, about how it really occurred, but it is a theory that explains what the state is, and thus legitimizes the state. However, Locke has a more moderate version of the notion of the individual and the state than Hobbes.
Hobbes thought that since people have the same rights and seek to implement them, between ...

The relationship between nature, the state and individuals is a complex one; political philosophers have been studying these relationships ever since the dawn of time, with the goal being to determine the best way in which the people relate to nature. Based on the ideas of philosopher John Locke, the state does not have the ability to infringe upon the right of people to determine their own destiny; he believes that mankind’s best state is to bring the best parts of their natural instincts into society, collecting together into a “state of perfect freedom.” Conversely, philosopher Jean-Jacques Rousseau believed that ...

Hoff praises Pooh as the epitome of the Uncarved Block, a state of being in one’s most natural state, or simplicity. An individual is able to appreciate life and bring out one’s own natural power more while in this state; simply because one is not contaminated by knowledge which Hoff argues only seeks to confuse people. Hoff also ridicules scholars who seek to find answers to principles that disrupt the natural order of things. This disruption has caused more questions instead, and has further digressed people away from the right way.
Hoff argues that scholars only seek ...

Right and Responsibilities of Citizens and the Modern Western Civilization

Jean-Jacques Rousseau is arguably one of the most inspiring philosophers in his time who development thoughts on classical philosophy. Rousseau argued on the intricate relationship between the state and the individual. He observed that the state as an entity wields a lot of power than an individual. Because of this authority, the state has the ability to force, command and direct an individual to perform certain duties and responsibilities. The state can determine the type of life that an individual should live as well as the things that an individual can do or avoid. The entrenchment of the state ...

In modern times, the theory of natural rights and social contract had finally become exempt from its previous theological justification. At the same time it became the basis for a rational understanding of the society and the state. The adoption of social contract theory in legal thought creates an opportunity for the different political concepts to be revealed – in favor of the monarchy and against it (in favor of the society). Hugo Grotius, a prominent representative of the school of natural law in early modern times shared its general theory of the origin of the state contract. Grotius and Hobbes stood ...

According to Hobbes, the emergence of state is preceded by the so-called natural state, a state of absolute, unrestricted freedom of people who are equal in their rights and abilities. People are equal to each other in their desire to dominate and to have the same rights. Therefore, the natural state for Hobbes is in the «state of war of all against all." The absolute freedom of the individual finds its way in the desire for anarchy, chaos, continuous struggle, in which the killing of man by another man is justified. (Gaskin, 1998) The way out of this situation is ...

Equality is one of the most prevalent themes among the theories developed by intellectuals in society. Even though different theories present various types of discourses regarding the varying degrees of fairness and equality, the political thought during the time of Rousseau and John Locke critically analyzed the concept of equality and inequality in society and emphasized the importance of the individual in thinking. They considered the disposition of humans through the lens of individualism rather than examining the group as a whole. The result was these intellectuals were able to spot a certain extent of secularization in the contemporary train of ...

In his “Discourse on Inequality” Rousseau addresses the psychological and political effects of property ownership on human nature and society. He criticizes the inequity of modern institutions and traces their origins back showing how the evolution of humankind established the relationship between property, society and inequality. Originally written in 1754 as an entry for a competition run by the Dijon Academy of Arts and Sciences it established him as an important philosopher. The original question was “What is the origin of inequality among men, and is it authorized by the natural law?” Although his first discourse won the competition in ...

Francisco de Vitoria: On the American Indians

First Level Analysis
Francisco de Vitoria was a theologian who wrote during the time of the Spanish conquest of the Americas. In his political treatise entitled On The American Indians, he suggests the Spanish should question by what right they have subjected the “barbarians” to their rule. Indeed, de Vitoria is immensely focused on investigating the political power of the Spanish in the New World, and in this particular passage, he determines that the barbarians that the Spanish have conquered in the New World should not be ruled under the dominion of the Spanish. He likens these people to ...

Abstract

This essay analyses Rousseau’s view of freedom while providing a linkage between this particular conception of freedom and the distinction between positive and negative freedom as advanced by Isaiah Berlin. The strengths and weaknesses of Rousseau’s view of freedom are then critically analyzed. Negative freedom is the total absence of barriers, constraints and obstacles. Berlin argued that negative freedom is usually directed towards individuals. He stated a person is not a slave of the other and everyone has the liberty to do what they wishes to do. The law or even social pressure does not prevent individuals ...

Social contract theory addresses political obligations and agreement among people to form the perfect society. Nowadays, the concept "social contract" is the main object of research for most experts in various areas of knowledge. These are philosophers and political scientists, lawyers and economists. However, it should be noted that the theory of social contract has the old history. It is possible to claim that it becomes a subject of discussion at the time of antiquity. There is a point of view that moral and political duties of people depend on the agreement between them for the purpose of development ...

According to Thomas Hobbes, man existed several centuries ago even before the social contract came to pass. There was a chaotic kind of life where there was no administration and government in place. Hobbes lived during a period of intense war in England between 1642 and 1648. During that period, there were two factions involved in the war. On one, hand, there were the kings together with their supporters who were demanding a monarch kind of governance. On the other hand, there were the parliamentarians under the leadership of Olivier Cromwell. The parliamentarians’ demanded absolute power of the parliament. Hobbes rejected the ...

Philosophy 334 Summer Essays

Engineers may design products in a laboratory, office or workshop. In these cases it might be one engineer working solo or a team of engineers working in tandem. They could be designing a coffee machine, or even a highway that will carry millions of people annually from place or another. When people imagine what engineers do all day, many picture someone in an office with a pencil in hand pouring over equations and sketches. While this may be true that this is where many engineering begins, it is not where it ends. Because whether or not an engineer is designing a coffee machine or a highway ...