WDW152H1 Lecture Notes - Lecture 2: Mechanical Equilibrium, Social Contract, Human Nature
12 May 2018
School
Department
Course
Professor
Without a government (aka hierarchy)
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No state
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Lots of freedom
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No rights
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Free for all
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Kosmos
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An imagined world in which there are no governments or central authority
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Everybody wants the same things ( food and territory), so they have to fight to
get what they want and fight to protect what they already have
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No laws or government --> complete freedom, but also complete insecurity
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No long-term planning or investment in the future
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The state of nature prompts rational actors to fight one another all the time
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War of all against all
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Anarchy : state of complete lawlessness
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"The Leviathan" (Hobbes)
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Government or monarchy that embodies the will of the people and has a
monopoly on the use of force
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It makes and enforces rules --> creating order
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People agree to give up some of their freedom in exchange for the
security provided by the Leviathan, or government
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In short, law is better than war
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Social contract
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There is no world government to make and enforce laws --> that
creates war among states
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How do states protect themselves in an anarchical world? -->
POWER
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The international system is anarchical
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How do we solve the problems associated with anarchy?
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State of Nature
States seek relative power so as to protect themselves in an anarchical world - Paul
Kennedy
Peace is an unstable equilibrium, which can be preserved only by acknowledged
supremacy or equal power." - Durant & Durant
Lecture 2.2: Why does war recur?
January 18, 2017
10:00 AM
LECTURE Page 1
Document Summary
An imagined world in which there are no governments or central authority. Everybody wants the same things ( food and territory), so they have to fight to get what they want and fight to protect what they already have. No laws or government --> complete freedom, but also complete insecurity. No long-term planning or investment in the future. The state of nature prompts rational actors to fight one another all the time. Government or monarchy that embodies the will of the people and has a monopoly on the use of force. It makes and enforces rules --> creating order. People agree to give up some of their freedom in exchange for the security provided by the leviathan, or government. There is no world government to make and enforce laws --> that creates war among states. States seek relative power so as to protect themselves in an anarchical world - paul.
