DeLeonSocialContract

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POLS 2312 | Spring 2024 Social Contracts Assignment Vanessa De Leon-Ruiz HOBBES’S VIEW OF THE SOCIAL CONTRACT (Hendershot) 1 (Theme 1 – people and conflict) “Hobbes’s Leviathan presents a classic account of where societies come from. His theory begins with a basic assumption about the nature of mankind. Initially, he suggests that mankind is egoistic, meaning we are all oriented toward our own individual goals and act in a self-interested manner. According to Hobbes, the problem begins when egoistic behavior leads to conflict. He suggests that self-interested people will become involved in conflicts because of three fundamental reasons. They will engage in conflict through competition over goods and things of value. They will engage in conflict while defending their property from the incursions of others. Finally, individuals will engage in conflict in vain glorious ways. They seek to use conflict to elevate themselves over others in stature.” (Theme 2 – state of nature) “Hobbes thus sees extremely dark prospects for mankind in the absence of government. Once conflict takes place it simply will not cease and desist. Instead, conflict leads to cycles of violence and further acts of vengeance. His state of nature is particularly bleak. Hobbes says that in the absence of governmental authority the prevailing context will be one of anarchy and an ongoing war-of-all-against-all. In the absence of some authority over the people, there will be nothing other than an awful 1 I provide you with an example of how to write up a theory. Keep this text in your document and keep it in quotes and italics as shown. 1

fight for survival. The people will be consumed with self-protection and will not grow crops, build things, or create knowledge. It will be ‘the life of man, solitary, poor, nasty, brutish, and short.’” (Theme 3 – the state) “The desolation of the Hobbesian state of nature will eventually lead to the state. He envisions a type of unanimous consent mechanism. Under Hobbes’s view, the state of nature will be so awful that everyone will agree to do anything else. They will get together and agree to give up their individual liberty to an authority that creates security within a stable society. Everyone agrees with everyone to create the leviathan or state. It is an absolute authority (i.e., the people give up all their liberty to the state) and people are bound to it by this act of consent. In Hobbes’s theory the King is the hero of the society. Without the king we would be engaged in a war-of-all-against-all and in a brutal state of nature. It is only because the King maintains order that we can feed, clothe, and build societies that meet basic needs. Because of that, we owe the crown our loyalty.” LOCKE’S VIEW OF THE SOCIAL CONTRACT (Vanessa De Leon-Ruiz) 2 2 Your assignment starts here. Write up your own explanation of Locke’s theory and then apply it in the next section. These paragraphs are your own words, so keep this formatted as regular text within this section (i.e., no italics or quotes). 2

(Theme 1 – state of nature) Locke’s views on the social contract are outlined in his literary work the ‘Two Treatises of Government’. He initiates this with what he calls a “State of Nature,” which is a hypothetical way of life in which individuals exist without a political form of government and instead live a life where people live with ‘natural rights’ instead. With natural rights in place, Locke talks about a world in where individuals don’t have to worry about inequality and can instead live a life with liberty and property. By doing this he sets a harmonious form of equality that creates the opportunity of cooperative interactions. This also imposes moral constraints on the individuals which prevents the struggles leading to chaos ensuring that everyone takes responsibility of their feeding within the moral ethical boundaries listed by Locke. (Theme 2 – state of war) Locke’s conception of the state of war is heavily based on his beliefs of the potential disruption it can cause in the state of nature. This is what can be called the Lockean Resolution Theory, which is triggered by a singular individual that violates the boundaries of natural law. It is this can lead to the downfall and breakdown of the natural harmony structures through a life of freedom and discriminatory actions. According to Locke, while such individuals do have the right to self defense it is important to note that this would have to play out in a way that the individuals do not turn to vengeance but instead approach a more peaceful approach. This can range from something as simple as communicating emotions to peacefully negotiating how the dilemma can be solved. (Theme 3 – mechanisms) 3

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