PP110 Lecture Notes - Niccolò Machiavelli, Richard Rorty, Natural Justice
Document Summary
Some philosophers see themselves as aiming for the truth. Seeking absolute truth ex- in metaphysics, philosophy is seen as religious in spirit. In contrast, philosophers like richard rorty think of philosophy as providing new ways of understanding our world Either way philosophy is an a priori (independent of experience, has been already experience but can be further explained) endeavour. Today we are looking at hobbe"s enormously influential work leviathan (1649). It represents the emergence of a modern political perspective. Looked at monarchy and ruler ship (how it was seen that they were divine rulers in the past), although they were in fact just regular people. What was emerging was a different perspective on the world. Individuals mattered and had rights, we all had legitimate interest. Before we turn to leviathan it is worthwhile considering the historical background to this work, specifically two crucial influences on hobbe"s philosophical ideas, namely, niccolo. Michiavelli (1469-1527) began his career as a civil servant.
