ipl-logo

Early Modern Thinkers Essay

588 Words3 Pages

Political Theory in Early Modern Europe Early modern thinkers, although they differed in opinions about the fundamentals of the design of an ideal government, had a surprising amount of middle ground. Although the best forms of rulers, where the origin of the power of the ruler came from, and the best design for a functioning society were all things these early modern thinkers disagreed on, they could agree the purpose of the government was to serve the people. As Bishop Jaques-Benigne Bossuet said, “[P]rinces should understand that their true glory is not for themselves, and that the public good which they procure is a sufficiently worthy recompense on earth, while awaiting the eternal rewards which God has reserved for them....” (49-50). Even if far-off rewards of God didn’t serve as a motivator for a government to work for the people, the far more direct rewards of a properly functioning society can serve as an added incentive. Thomas Hobbes believed that there was power in being in a government ruled by many, for each man could be both sovereign and servant of his society. With the purpose of …show more content…

“(…) [C]orruption which was in them had begun to spread through its members; (and) as the members had been corrupted it was impossible ever again to reform her (the state), (Machiavelli, 25). Montagu said it was “luxury and corruption” cased the decline of the Roman Republic (Montagu 51). With this corruption and shift of morality for the worse, it becomes nearly impossible for the people of a government to achieve a strong and working system without being under the control of a tyrant. They have given up their liberty as a self-sufficient state in exchange for liberty as individuals. Because none of them are working toward a similar goal, no progress is ever to be made for the progression of their society and individual lives. “[C]orruption was the cause of infinite tumults,” (Machiavelli) and eternal

Show More
Related
806 Words | 4 Pages

“That, to secure these rights, governments are instituted among men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed.” (Jefferson 120). This man believed the same as hobbes, that there needed to be something to control and regulate what was needed for a population to live

Read More
965 Words | 4 Pages

Hobbes believed that without a strong government, people experience continual fear and danger of violent death and lives that are solitary, poor, brutish, and short.” This quote is important because many people who are not ruled usually lead to destruction and mayhem. According to hobbes “appointing a diverse group of representatives to present the problems of the common people to the leviathan. These representatives would only have the power to present opinions, since all final decisions would be made by the leviathan.” i imagine that hobbes presumes that the citizens will take advantage of anyone who is seen as a “good” person, this idea can provide the people with a voice and still be able to make the right

Read More
1208 Words | 5 Pages

Hobbes believed that man must escape their state of nature to be protected. Within this social contract the ruler had absolute power over the people which lead to their words and opinions never being heard. Hobbes believed that for the government to function properly, the people must obey the absolute monarchy and accept that their opinions are not being accounted. Hobbes explained, “And therefore, they that are subjects to a Monarch, cannot without his leave cast off Monarchy, and return to the confusion of a disunited Multitude; not tranferre their Person from him that beareth it…” (Hobbes in Perry, 22).

Read More
1053 Words | 5 Pages

He believed people act selfishly, so they could not be trusted to make their own decisions. Hobbes said that the only purpose of a government was to protect people from their own evil and

Read More
1016 Words | 5 Pages

Thomas Hobbes wrote a famous book, The Leviathan, that explained how he thought humans were selfish and needed the government to keep order. He supported an absolute monarchy that could not be overthrown. Baron de Montesquieu said, “ Again, there is no liberty if the power of judging be not separated from the Legislative and Executive powers,” (Doc. 4). This displays how he wanted Separation of Powers, government division to keep one individual from rising to power.

Read More
789 Words | 4 Pages

Hobbes believed if there was no government every man will fight against one another for power. To stop the fighting the people form a government to make peace. “To this war of every man against every man, this also is consequent; that nothing can be unjust” (doc 2). This quote is saying that without laws or any form of government people will fight each other. And

Read More
1340 Words | 6 Pages

HIST 3005 Contreras 1 Luis Contreras Sophie Tunney 12/3/2018 The Needs of the people When a form of governing a state becomes obsolete it is sometimes best to do away with that form of governance and install a new form of government. In our “Shaping Of The Modern World” textbook we can find the source “Common sense” by Thomas Paine explaining how ineffective England’s rule over the colonies is, and we can also find “Social Order And Absolute Monarchy” by Jean Domat which argues in favor of absolute rule by the monarchy. Domat’s idea of absolute monarchy is flawed however because when a monarchy is in power it limits the growth of the state, stomp on the natural rights of its citizen’s, their decisions will affect their people

Read More
848 Words | 4 Pages

The Community Within the Gym What is a discourse community? Most will say that it is defined as a group of people with common interests who communicate through particular terms and genres. Reading the article, “The Concept of Discourse Community”, I have found that there is a more complex definition, which include six characteristics that make a group a discourse community, as linguist John Swales states. The characteristics that follow are:

Read More
624 Words | 3 Pages

Hobbes believed that natural state of humans was violent and therefore needed order and control to ensure a just and equal society (Robinson 2016, 4). However Hobbes believed that a sovereign could maintain power without deceit and manipulation. Hobbes believed in the social contract which is when people could have a moral understanding about right and wrong to avoid the chaotic violent human nature. Hobbes believed in the idea of utilitarianism which would “maximize the most good and minimize the pain” (Robinson 201, 4). This would ensure that the sovereign was doing things for the right reasons and not to better himself but to better society as a

Read More
1591 Words | 7 Pages

According to Hobbes, a sovereign, whether the sovereign was placed into power by violence or force, is the only way to secure law and order. For him, if a citizen obeys the sovereign for fear of punishment or in the fear of the state of nature, it is the choice of the citizen. According to Hobbes, this is not tyranny; it is his idea of a society that is successful, one that does not have room for democracy. As a realist, Hobbes has a fierce distrust of democracy and viewed all of mankind in a restless desire for power. If the people are given power, law and order would crumble in Hobbes’ eyes.

Read More
1512 Words | 7 Pages

It seems that the fall of the Roman Republic was not a singular event that occurred instantaneously, but rather a long process that saw the increasing use of methods outside of Republican institutions to settle conflicts between members of the aristocracy over political power. Even as the Roman government transitioned form Kingdom to Republic and then to Empire, the competition between aristocratic families remained a relative constant in across the centuries. So too has the desire to mythologize the past. The romans attributed both the fall of the Kingdom of Rome and the fall of the Roman Republic to moral rot, while a more reasonable assessment might place the blame on a dissatisfied and competitive elite class and an inefficient and unresponsive governmental system that was unwilling or unable to address their concerns. In much the same way, modern observers of the Roman Republic have tended to mythologize the fall of the Republic in the service of creating a moral narrative about the unconscionable tyranny of Cesar and the righteousness of the Senate, or whatever alternative narrative is befitting of the historical moment and audience.

Read More
493 Words | 2 Pages

One his theories, stated in his book called Leviathan said that people are not able rule themselves because of how selfish mankind is and they need to be ruled by an iron fist. His political theory was that was also stated in Leviathan was that we should respect government authority under all circumstances to avoid violence. Hobbes was scared of the outcome of the social contract which meant people could get rid of the government if they were unhappy with what they were getting. In order to make well with the social contract he states in Leviathan that people should be completely obedient to the government. His reasoning was that if there was no government, there would be chaos.

Read More
1232 Words | 5 Pages

He justifies the need for democracy, aristocracy and monarchy depending on location. The three philosophers use their judgment and prior knowledge on each other’s work to validate an ideal society, especially for the uprising continent of America. Governments are an established institution in every society. Though there are multiple types of governments, their purpose is fundamental to determining the influence on a civilization.

Read More
1212 Words | 5 Pages

1 INTRODUCTION Power and authority are the most important aspects of politics as such way of thinking comes a long way from the earliest thinkers such as Plato and Aristotle to mention few. They are the fundamental features of state in politics, focusing on who should have the power and authority over the people and who should rule them. During the time prior and after the birth of states, political authority has always been a major concern with regards to who should rule and how and who shouldn’t. Therefore this issues need to be addressed in a way that will at the end benefit the society. Plato is the thinker or theorist who came with addressing who should rule in a political environment in what Plato outlined that only Philosophers should rule.

Read More
822 Words | 4 Pages

Abortion legalization We can do whatever we want with our body, it is our property. What government can do about this is to suggest, not to suppress. However, more than 300,000 females around the world are carrying a rapist’s child, due to formidable pressure from the government’s authorities. Why should the government care about our body?

Read More

More about Early Modern Thinkers Essay

Related Topics

Open Document