SOC SCI H1F Lecture Notes - Lecture 1: Rodney King, Sigmund Freud, Maximilien Robespierre
16 Mar 2019
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Constrained view: human beings need external structures and restrictions in order to behave well. This includes law, customs, traditions, and religions that are built up slowly and organically in local communities. Leaders of governments should be held under checks and balances. This is a pessimistic view, humans are not always looking out for your benefit but are sometimes in it for themselves. Robespierre and the french revolution, later came napoleon. The constitution was written with the constrained view in mind. Unconstrained view: human nature is malleable and can be improved, perfected. If the artificial constraints on human beings are removed they will be removed from petty rivalries that cause war and competitions. If we screw up, it is at the fault of environmental conditions. If it brings you great riches and profit to kill someone else and you would never get caught, how many of us would do it. Freud used a phrase: narcissism of minor differences.
