SOC101Y1 Lecture : Lecture novemeber 1st 2010
Document Summary
Historically rulers have always tried to claim some kind of transcendent legitimacy to their rule. The most common way of doing this is by claiming some divine right. We call this either royal absolutism or absolute monarchy. In locke"s time the claim of rule by divine right was still upheld by certain. Filmer argued that to impose limitations on an absolute monarch is actually sacrilege. A prince may never be obliged by contracts or concessions to abstain from the lives liberties and properties of his subjects. Filmer was opposed to the idea of a social contract between the people and the ruler or the multitude and a ruler. The position arises that humans are naturally endowed by birth with the freedom from subjection. Terrell - the power that any individual has power over others were originally bestowed conditionally by a multitude.
