HISTORY OF POLITICAL THOUGHT IIWednesday Jan 7HOMEWORK: CALVIN AND LUTHER (p 302-337)*no class next Monday **500 word reflection paper on the crisis in france  identify 2 or 3 political principles at play with terrorist attacks on satirical magazine and jewish food store - economist, NY times, wall street journal, etc- what happened, why it happened- freedom of religion, freedom of speech, role of govt in protecting offense of speech, whether western democracy is corrupt/evil, whatever - DUE NEXT WEDENSDAYAMONG THE DISRUPTED “the medium is the message”  the means of communication are changing the content - Quantification/metrics- Competing worldviewso Humanismo Transhumanism- we will be able to surpass our human capabilities with technology o Post-humanism - Some say art is an evolutionary adaptation of the brain??- Culture: internecine contest between alternative conceptions of the human o Destructive and creativeo Ideas of what is good/evil, etc-QUESTIONS TO CONSIDER:- what is a human being?- what is society?- what is the purpose of government?- is government necessary ?- what is the purpose of human life?o can we know this?o Is this a political question?o How many answers are allowed?CONSTANT: THE LIBERTY OF ANCIENTS Vs. MODERNS- Athens and Sparta - Ancients have one idea of freedom and moderns have another- Ancient liberty political participation, - Modern liberty  individual liberties, freedom to be left alone o Commerce  Compass o Population - Skeptic of state having a strict idea of virtue, like ancient Greece MISSING NOTES: WED JAN 14Wednesday Jan 21**Jean Boden**next class read Thomas Hobbes (up to page 379)**capital should be done by last class of monthJean Bodin (p 348)- 1530-1596- france in 16th century: dealing with world created by protestant reformation - primary contribution to political theory: Sovereignty o super- above o regnum- king/ruler ship - people are questioning legitimacy of government, church no authority - poletique- practical thinkers, catholic, preference was for france to continue to be catholic but they were realistic enough to acknowledge the atrocities in the name of religiono wanted to come up with moderate approach - themes: o lo sato- the state is a lawful gov with sovereign power ***know this definition o soveriengty- absolute and perpetual power of state to command,o absolute- unrivaled, what would be a potential rival?--> the churcho bodin is asserting power of state to be unrivaled, controversial at this time, questioning authority of god o asserting power of the king vis-à-vis local officials, lords, etc- p 349: what absolute power means- the lifetime of him who has the power: the king monarchy is good thingo why would he assume monarchy is best form? Why not democracy?o He could be killed for questioning authority of king - p 352: Religion and social peaceo doesn’t want to go into religion, but says there is one religion dominated by god?  Leo Strauss (p. 352): until free speech all political philosophershas a secret agenda, used clues in text - P. 349: prince isn’t bound by law of predecessorso Prince cant be subject to his own laws o Not saying prince is absolute he is makin distinction between princeand laws  sovereignty is distinct from king even though king possesses sovereignty Monarch becomes monarch in 3 different ways: p. 3511. conquest2. legitimate decent 3. tyrannya. difference between conquest and tyranny?- p. 352o tyranicide: killing an unjust kingo ancients make no distinction between tyrant that is good and tyrant that is villainous o bodin saying if someone is a tyrant and gets power illegitimately its okto assassinate them?o Who decides when a ruler is unjust or illegitmate? o If a king does terrible things, what is the penalty?o Saying ultimately the king will have to face god- what causes revolutions?o Debt, poverty, o Debt-  Too much is bad, if the poor are too indebted to rich that leads to revolution On other hand, debt binds society together sign of faith/trustBODIN- sovereignty- wars of religion- sovereignty  new reality of fragmented Christianity and French society, established state ruled by monarchHOBBES: 1588-1679- 16th and 17th centuryo banks emergingo wars of religiono scientific revolution*** people beginning to see world through scientific lens rather than religion o latecomer to science and geometry saw math and science as distinctive and unique perspective on world gives you clue to everything o universe as bodies in motion: o math is proper way to describe these bodies in motion o whats this tell you about human nature?--> is calculable o think about basic issue of human freedom, what motivates human beings?o Hobbes says we are motivated by fear: we are a bundle of desires the role of our rational brain is to satisfy those desires o Terrified of violent death.. our brains are there to help us satisfy those desires o Before society and gov, why would someone strong be motivated to submit to others? Even the strong need to sleepMonday Jan 26HOMEWORK: SECTION 1 of CAPITAL Reading: Hobbes- Leviathan (p. 364-379)- lived during time of English civil war, saw what life was like without an effective authority; beginning of scientific revolution - for effective government powerful enough to preserve peaceLeviathan- state of nature o starts with individuals o weakest can still kill the strong,o equality- humans are relatively equal in strength and in mindo prudence=experience  ability to take care of oneself  the best course of action given the available information practical knowledgeo prudence for Hobbes- self-reguard/self-interest: whats best for yourself o p. 365- imagines what world is like without government 3 causes of quarrel competition gain: riches, power, etc  diffidence- safety, the ability to be able to not care, relax;  glory- reputation o p. 365- SOLITARY, POOR, NASTY, BRUDISH, SHORT  government should be extremely powerful, o p. 366- force and fraud are the two cardinal virtues - The Social Contract o Right of nature- rights/duties o Liberty- absence of external impediments being left aloneo Law of nature- preserving your life at all costs o People fear, above all, violent death o P. 367- quotes gospel golden rule  using it to justify why people leave the state of nature o The one right we never give up the right to resist a violent death - We are amoral creatures, when we form