Transcript Document

Philosophy GCE AS level
Section 2 Should we be governed?
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Why should we be governed?
• Why would we think being governed is a good
idea?
• Is it only right to be governed if we have
agreed to it?
• If we are governed, must we always obey the
law, or may we disobey it, for example if we
think it should be changed
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Big Question
• What would humans be like if
there was no political
authority?
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The state of nature
• Imagine a life without government, without
state or laws, police – what would be left?
• This is a state of nature
• An old idea in political philosophy
• Helps us think about why do we, or why
should we, live under the rule of law?
• We take the law/punishment for granted
• But why do we accept it?
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State of nature
• Philosophers argue that the state is based on
an agreement between people to live
together under law
• This story, of how free people become
obligated to obey the laws of a state
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Hobbes: the state of nature as a state
of war
• ‘self-preservation’ is our most fundamental desire, and if there is no
law or authority to override our acting on this desire, no-one can
tell us how or how not we may try to stay alive
• Hobbes argues that in a state of nature we have the right to use our
power in however we choose to stay alive
• Our ‘natural right’ conflicts with someone else’s natural right If I
have aright, someone else has a duty. If I have a right to be alive,
you have a duty not to kill me. But in a state of nature no-one has
the authority to say
• Each person must eventually rely on just themselves, on own
strength and intelligence. This will lead to a state of war, and will
live in a state of ‘continuall feare, and danger of violent death’.
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Causes of war
• 1) we desire power – to get what you want
now or in the future
• 2) our desires are never ending – if we can
satisfy them now we want to try and satisfy
them in the future too
• 3)in the state of nature we are roughly equal
AND there is scarcity AND we are vulnerable
(others can cause us to fail to achieve the
power we need to satisfy our desires)
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Locke on the state of nature
• Locke & Hobbes agree – state of nature is state of
perfect freedom and equality
• Hobbes says freedom is our ability to gain power
and satisfy ourselves and liberty = the natural
right to do whatever to preserve ourselves
• Locke argues for a moral interpretation – whilst
everyone has right to preserve themselves
because of equality no-one has the right to hold
power over others. This is the law of nature
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Law of nature
• Locke says that no person may subordinate
another, harm his health, life liberty or
possessions (except in self defence) – we
should help each other when this does not
harm ourselves.
• Locke asserts the state of nature is a state of
liberty not ‘licence’, because it still falls under
a state of law, viz, the law of nature.
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Where does law of nature come from?
• Laws are normally made by states
• Locke argues Law of nature is made by God,
because we are created by God, and that we have
a duty to preserve and not to harm life both our
own and other people’s.
• However, Locke also argues that the Law of
Nature is discoverable by reason.
• Hobbes says that we need power and we act out
of the fear created by the conditions of the state
of nature. So even if we should obey the Law of
Nature, we won’t.
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objections
• Locke disagrees with Hobbes about scarcity –
he says there is plenty of land – and if people
have enough to cultivate for themselves they
would prefer to do this rather than attack
people - and so live peacefully
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