PSCI 2302 Lecture Notes - Lecture 2: Deductive Reasoning, Social Contract, Mixed Government
14 Dec 2016
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Resolutive-compositive method (science of politics: breaking things down to their most elementary movements/motions and then move to a chain of deductive reasoning to understand the whole series of causes and effects. Natural condition of human beings: physical and mental equality (people are equal by nature, roughly equal hopes and expectations of achieving our desired ends, leads us into competition with others. People can never be satisfied with what they have since power is relational. Our condition involves in a relentless search for power/ we end up in conflict from competition, scheming/lack of trust, and glory. Where there is no common power, human beings do not live together very well: the natural condition for human beings is a state of war. Passions to escape this condition and achieve peace: reason. Natural right vs. natural law: right consists in a type of liberty, law consists in a type of obligation. First law of nature: precept of reason to seek peace.
