Political Science 1020E Lecture Notes - Lecture 3: Materialism, Thomas Hobbes, Rationality
13 Sep 2018
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Document Summary
Failed state - no recognized authority with a monopoly on legitimate use of force. Cannot ensure public order and security, resulting in a condition of civil war. States near collapse or failure are sometimes called fragile. Hobbes engages in a thought experiment where he imagines life without the state and political power. Thomas hobbes (1588-1679) - lived in england during a civil war. He wrote the stories leviathan (1651) and behemoth (1679). Both were allegorical stories that re ected on a future state of nature. Powerful state is needed in order to avoid disastrous interpersonal con ict. Introspection - look to themselves and asking questions about their personal being. Materialism - humans look to continue to collect things. Felicity - the idea that individuals want things regardless of anything else. Therefore, they will do anything to satisfy their own needs. Power - the ability to make someone do something even though they may not want to.
