As you probably can tell from the illustration at the right, we've not only leapt back once again, but we've jumped across the ocean as well--to France, at the time of the French Revolution. Continue to study this document as we've studied the others in this section of the course. Can you find connections? cf. them.
One thing you might notice here that many articles seem\ to begin with an assertion and conclude with a statement which qualifies that assertion. For example Article One states: "Men are born and remain free and equal in rights. Social distinctions may be founded only upon the general good." The first sentence suggests equality, but the second limits that equality and allows for social distinctions. What is going on here? How many similar situations can you find in these articles. Note them and become prepared to discuss them.
Download, read, and annotate, from the Core Canon,
Download, read, and annotate, from the Core Canon, The Social Contract Thomas Hobbes1651
By now, you've noticed that a number of the documents which we have read recently have a certain familiar form. First comes a preamble, which states the purpose of the document. Then comes a set of assertions, sometimes called articles, but sometimes not. Finally, we get to a paragraph or two which sum up and conclude the argument, in the text--sometimes declaring an action to be taken, and sometimes not.
We will return to the Declaration later in the semester. For now, I want to concentrate on just the preamble--the first two paragraphs. As you read these, I'd like you to annotate and present your ideas these things:
How many "rights" does Jefferson declare. Be a little careful, there's on that most people miss near the end of the preamble.
How do we "get" these rights? and why does he call them "unalienable"?
Why does he insert the word "among?"
During the medieval era, there was not much theory involved in governing, beyond questions of ethics and justice proposed by theologians. The Renaissance and the Enlightenment which followed, saw a rebirth of interest in the human intellect, and a new belief that people could use their intellectual faculties to understand and then shape the world in which they lived. Thomas Hobbes, operating in this new intellectual environment, investigates why humans form societies in the first place.
The kind of work Hobbes did can best be understand as a form of intellectual speculation. Before one can look to questions of the best form of government, one must probe more basic questions: What are humans like? How does fundamental human nature create a need for society? (Note the concept is society, not government.) For Hobbes, these are quite different things. After one determines what society is for, one can then create a theoretical model for the government which society needs.
Leave yourself good time to devote to Hobbes, as he is going to be difficult going. The language is old-fashioned, for one thing. Aside from some words you may need to discover (remember http://www.dictionary.com), the main problem will be the older form of verbs. In our day “th, or “eth” endings have become more or less obsolete, replaced by “s” or “es”. As you work on this,
keep an eye on Hobbes’ concept of equality.
keep another eye on Hobbes’ view of human nature, or personality, or psychology (he doesn’t use those terms, but he does describe how he thinks we behave).
keep a third eye (you do have three, don’t you?) on how Hobbes argues his case. How does he prove his assertions? We’ll be looking at a new way to argue, the hypothetical instance. As far as we know, human beings have always lived in societies. So how can we figure out what societies are for without imagining life without them?
Next week we’ll look at another thinker: an American contemporary of Hobbes, who relates our need for society to the fact that we’re not equal. See if you can predict some of the reasons he might take this viewpoint, and how believing in inequality might lead to a different set of governmental principles.
Thomas Hobbes was no friend to Democracy. The illustration to the left is adapted from the frontispiece of his major work, Leviathan. The Cartoon shows the king (Charles I of England) guarding his realm with a sword (symbol of state), and a staff (the King of England was head of the English Church, and had been since the days of Henry VIII.) The King's body is composed of scores of Englishmen, making him literally the head of the nation. The entire text of Leviathan is available on line Click on the image to read more if you wish.
