...THOMAS HOBBES Thomas Hobbes was a British philosopher who believed in Empiricism a theory that believes one gets their knowledge of the world comes from our sensory experiences through our hands, and mouth. At the time Hobbes wrote “The Leviathan” England were at upheaval over the civil war so he wrote “The Leviathan” as to show his observation on how Humans really are in their natural state with his assertion he suggest since being a royalist that to preserve peace , Man should form social contract. He believed any form of government is better than none. His Philosophy along with those of Machiavelli were seen as the foundation for Modern political thinking. Just like Machiavelli assertion that humans are essentially evil and selfish, Hobbes also believes that human are inherently selfish. The Mortal God as Hobbes describes “The Leviathan” is created in order to protect the people creating and enforcing the laws. Thesis Hobbes claim that when man is left in “The State Of Nature” he is unable to preserve his life making it brutish and short therefore man should form an social contract allowing an absolute authority the (sovereignty) create and implement laws they should follow in order to maintain peace and avoid civil war. Insight 2nd Paragraph Thomas Hobbes and Niccolò Machiavelli both make similar assertion but greatly contradicts one another. Both Hobbes and Machiavelli have a pessimistic view on human nature. Thomas Hobbes believes that humans are only interested...
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...The Constitution of the United States of America was signed on September 17, 1787. It was important as it established a federal governing system, fundamental laws, and gave the citizens guaranteed rights. But, it was not created overnight; it was a lengthy and complex process. It encompasses ideas and opinions from all of the multiple individuals who had to agree on it. In order to understand the Constitution and the political system in the United States, it is helpful to be aware of its roots and what influenced the ideas of the Founding Fathers. This paper dives into those influences on the development of the political system that has been successful for all of these years. The Founding Fathers drew upon the writings and history of a number...
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...or a Revolution? It should be understood that without understanding the causes, course, and consequences of the American Revolution, one cannot grasp the history of the United State. The American Revolution was the political commotion during the end of the eighteenth century. The thirteen North American colonies united to break free of the British Empire and become a new nation; The United State of America. A revolution can be defined as, the change in power or the constitution stirring in a relatively short period of time. Aristotle described revolution as complete change from one constitution to another (Sinclair 190). And this is precisely what happened two centuries ago in the United State. But the question needed to be answered is, was the American War of Independence really a war for independence or a revolution? The American War of Independence (1775–1783) was a climax in the political American Revolution rather than just a war for independence, ideologically influenced by the Enlightenment philosophers and writers of the Great Britain. Benjamin Rush remarked in 1787, "The American war is over, but this is far from being the case with the American Revolution. On the contrary, nothing but the first act of the great drama is closed." 2 This drama staged in the Pennsylvania State House in summer of 1776 remains the only most important chapter in the archives of American Revolution. Although, the political atmosphere in France during its uprising...
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...Chapter one: The History of The Public Opinion Introduction The public opinion is a set of attitudes and views of individuals concerned with particular controversial issues, including politics and government action. Its impact is not only limited to politics and elections, but also concerned with many other spheres, such as culture, literature, the arts, public relations and so on. The American public opinion has been a subject of inquiry since the rise of democratic states, in the late nineteenth and twentieth centuries because governments started to be well known, and democracies were expected to present and be responsible for their people. Before dealing with the American public opinion, one should know the nature of the notion and its...
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...practiced time out of mind or as the immutable dictates of natural law, away from the fiction that judges discover rather than make law, and towards modern notions of law as creative political acts recorded in writing. In terms of constitutional law, this march leads to the idea of written constitutionalism, a destination that the rebelling American colonists are often said to have reached first.[4] It was a task especially ‘reserved’ to the American people, wrote Alexander Hamilton, to demonstrate to the world that constitutions might be established through ‘reflection and choice’ rather than ‘accident and force.’[5] In contrast to the unwritten British constitution, about which there was ‘nothing visible, nothing real’, the United States Constitution was a ‘certain and fixed’ law ‘delineated by the mighty hand of the people’, the ‘work or will’ of...
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...CONTEMPORARY BUSINESS LAW Session 1 – Introduction to Law/Australian Legal System _______________________________________________________________________________ 1. WHAT IS LAW? 1.1 Legal Terms A Law - A particular legal rule. The Law - A declaration of behaviour in our society. - A comprehensive and changing set of rules. Jurisprudence - The general principles underlying the law: the foundation for the making of the law. Natural Law - The principles of reason and justice which flow from the law of nature (or the law of God) and which form the foundation of our legal system. Religious Law - What is right and wrong? Rationalist Law - What is reason? 1.2 Foundation for Democratic Law Natural law is based on the notions of the laws of God and reason/common sense – ie, a combination of Religious and Rationalist law. We see direct examples of Christian teachings in our law. A notable example is the case of Donoghue v Stevenson which is a major case in the law of tort. John Locke explained that natural law involved a fundamental belief that all men are equal and will, therefore, equally respect and not harm each other. His view inspired the core principle of the American Declaration of Independence and, as a result, two of the most impacting speeches: American Declaration of Independence: “We hold these truths to be...
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...fundamental principles or established precedents according to which a state or other organization is governed.[1] These rules together make up, i.e. constitute, what the entity is. When these principles are written down into a single document or set of legal documents, those documents may be said to embody a written constitution; if they are written down in a single comprehensive document, it is said to embody a codified constitution. Constitutions concern different levels of organizations, from sovereign states to companies and unincorporated associations. A treaty which establishes an international organization is also its constitution, in that it would define how that organization is constituted. Within states, a constitution defines the principles upon which the state is based, the procedure in which laws are made and by whom. Some constitutions, especially codified constitutions, also act as limiters of state power, by establishing lines which a state's rulers cannot cross, such as fundamental rights. An example is the constitution of the United States of America. George Washington at Constitutional Convention of 1787 signing of the U.S. Constitution. The Constitution of India is the longest written constitution of any sovereign country in the world,[2] containing 444 articles in 22 parts,[3][4] 12 schedules and 118 amendments, with 117,369 words in its English-language translation,[5] while the United States Constitution is the shortest written constitution, at 7 articles...
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...course aims to introduce students to the subject of International Relations (IR), whose main focus is the nature of politics at the international level. Students will acquire the empirical and conceptual foundations needed to understand a world political system which cannot be accurately described as either pure anarchy or a coherent form of ‘global governance’. The starting point is the notion of ‘international society’, which refers to the set of institutions and common procedures generated by states over the last three and a half centuries in their attempts to achieve some minimal form of co-existence, but which has gradually evolved to include many non-state actors and different levels of activity – diplomatic, economic and cultural, as well as that of military competition. By the end of the course you should be able to have an informed discussion about: the historical origins of the present system; what is distinctive about international politics as opposed to politics inside the state; and the main challenges which confront humanity in the twenty-first century. You will also acquire a basic familiarity with the main theories needed to think analytically - and critically - about the idea of international society and the behaviour of the actors which constitute it. Brief Description of the Paper The subject of International Relations (usually given capital letters, as opposed to international relations as events) has a huge range. Some see it as covering everything that has happened...
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...made: Judges make law based on decided cases (precedents) and develop sets of legal principles which emerge from the judgments in decided cases.’ See chapter 12, 13, and 14. * The category of laws which grew from the medieval royal courts (‘the courts of common law’) and other areas of law, which came from the medieval Lord Chancellor’s role (‘equity’). See chapter 10. * Decision making in courts after an adversarial trial: derived from historical ‘trial by battle’ introduced by Normans. The battle has since then become a verbal one. See chapter 2. * A court system for dispute resolution: See chapter 11. However, Australian law has developed distinct characteristics of its own: * A federal system made up of a Commonwealth and States and Territories: separates out the powers of different bodies of government. See chapter 8. * A limited recognition of indigenous customary law: Mabo (No 2) held that native title to land could exist, separate from the common law and based on indigenous customary law. Other forms of recognition are ad hoc, but do exist: * Criminal justice system in NT carried out on a customary basis rather than common law in certain cases. * Customary law marriage is recognised. * Certain aspects of indigenous heritage have been protected. See chapters 5 and 10 for the issues...
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...CSS 105 COURSE GUIDE COURSE GUIDE CSS105 INTRODUCTION TO POLITICAL SCIENCE Course Developer Dr. Derin K. Ologbenla University Of Lagos Akoka – Lagos. Dr. Derin K. Ologbenla Course Writer University Of Lagos Akoka – Lagos. Course Co-ordinator Dr. Godwin Ifidon Oyakhiromen National Open University of Nigeria Lagos. NATIONAL OPEN UNIVERSITY OF NIGERIA ii CSS 105 COURSE GUIDE National Open University of Nigeria Headquarters 14/16 Ahmadu Bello Way Victoria Island Lagos Abuja Annex 245 Samuel Adesujo Ademulegun Street Central Business District Opposite Arewa Suites Abuja e-mail: centralinfo@nou.edu.ng URL: www.nou.edu.ng National Open University of Nigeria 2006 First Printed 2006 ISBN: 978-058-434-X All Rights Reserved Printed by Goshen Print Media Ltd For National Open University of Nigeria iii CSS 105 COURSE GUIDE Contents Introduction......................................................................... Aims................................................................................... Objectives........................................................................... Working through the Course.............................................. Course Materials................................................................ Study Units........................................................................ Textbooks and References.................................................. Assessment.......................................
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...LEVIATHAN, or The Matter, Form, & Power of a COMMON-WEALTH ECCLESIASTICAL AND CIVIL By THOMAS HOBBES London,1651 AMERICAN UNIVERSITY OF BEIRUT THE INTRODUCTION PART I 1 OF MAN Ch. I Of SENSE 2 Ch. 2 Of IMAGINATION 2 Ch. 5 Of REASON, and SCIENCE 3 Ch. 6 Of [...] the PASSIONS 7 Ch. 8 Of the VIRTUES Commonly Called INTELLECTUAL […] 9 Ch. 10 Of POWER, WORTH, DIGNITY, HONOUR and WORTHINESS 10 Ch. 11 Of the Difference of MANNERS 11 Ch. 13 Of the NATURAL CONDITION of MANKIND 13 Ch. 14 Of the First and Second NATURAL LAWS and of CONTRACTS 15 Ch. 15 Of Other Laws of Nature 18 Ch. 16 Of PERSONS, AUTHORS, and Things Personated 21 PART II OF COMMONWEALTH Ch. 17 Of the Causes, Generation, and Definition of a COMMONWEALTH 22 Ch. 18 Of the RIGHTS of Sovereigns by Institution 24 Ch. 20 Of Dominion PATERNAL and DESPOTICAL 27 Ch. 21 Of the LIBERTY of Subjects 30 Ch. 26 Of CIVIL LAWS 33 Ch. 30 Of the OFFICE of the Sovereign Representative 34 [ PART III OF A CHRISTIAN COMMONWEALTH [ PART IV OF THE KINGDOM 0F DARKNESS [ A REVIEW and CONCLUSION ] Chapters 32-43 ] Chapters 44-47 ] THE INTRODUCTION Nature (the art whereby God hath made and governs the world) is by the art of man, as in many other things, so in this also imitated, that it can make an artificial animal. For seeing life is but a motion of limbs, the beginning whereof is in some principal...
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...evolved in Ancient Greece, whereby a council of famous citizens was commonly used and contrasted with direct democracy in which a council of male citizens was appointed as their "senate". The Greeks did not like the concept of monarchy, and as their democratic system fell, aristocracy was upheld.[1] In Rome, the Republic consisted of an aristocracy as well as consuls, a senate, and a tribal assembly. Later, aristocracies primarily consisted of an elitearistocratic class, privileged by birth and often by wealth. Since the French Revolution, aristocracy has generally been contrasted with democracy, in which all citizens hold some form of political power. However this distinction is often oversimplified. In Leviathan, Thomas Hobbes describes an aristocracy as a commonwealth in which the representative of the citizens is an assembly by part. Simply put, a government when only a certain part of the general public can represent the public. Modern depictions of aristocracy regard it not as a legitimate aristocracy (rule by the best) but rather as a plutocracy (rule by the wealthy). ------------------------------------------------- Advocates of aristocracy * Aristotle * Charles Baudelaire * John Calvin * G. K. Chesterton * Julius Evola * Guillaume Groen van Prinsterer * Heraclitus...
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...subjective prejudices or whims of some person, group of people, or society as a whole. Natural law is objective since it is inherent in the nature of the entity to which it relates. The content of natural law is accessible to human reason. For example, it is easily understood that since each man has a natural right to survive, flourish, and pursue his own happiness, no other man or group of men should attempt to deprive him of a chosen value or action through the initiation or threat of force. Historically, socially emergent ideas of legal principles, oftentimes in accord with the nature of reality, occurred prior to their adoption by political authorities. Voluntary forms of governance through customary private laws preexisted state law and effectively ordered human affairs. Law arose as a spontaneous order – something to be discovered rather than enacted. Law is an evolutionary systemic process involving the experiences of a vast number of people. There are different theories that...
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...R outledge Revision: Questions & Answers Jurisprudence 2011–2012 Each Routledge Q&A contains approximately 50 questions on topics commonly found on exam papers, with answer plans and comprehensive suggested answers. Each book also offers valuable advice as to how to approach and tackle exam questions and how to focus your revision effectively. New Aim Higher and Common Pitfalls boxes will also help you to identify how to go that little bit further in order to get the very best marks and highlight areas of confusion. And now there are further opportunities to hone and perfect your exam technique online. New editions publishing in 2011: Civil Liberties & Human Rights Commercial Law Company Law Constitutional & Administrative Law Contract Law Criminal Law Employment Law English Legal System Routledge Q&A series Equity & Trusts European Union Law Evidence Family Law Jurisprudence Land Law Medical Law Torts For a full listing, visit http://www.routledge.com/textbooks/revision R outledge Revision: Questions & Answers Jurisprudence 2011–2012 David Brooke Senior Lecturer in Law and Module Leader in Jurisprudence at Leeds Metropolitan University Fifth edition published 2011 by Routledge 2 Park Square, Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon, OX14 4RN Simultaneously published in the U S A and Canada by Routledge 270 Madison Avenue, New York, NY 10016 Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group, an informa business This edition published in the Taylor & Francis e-Library, 2011...
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...2 Abstract This dissertation analyses the problem of how to create more just and democratic global governing institutions, exploring the approach of a more formal system of collective decision-making by the three main actors in global society: governments, civil society and the business sector. The thesis seeks to make a contribution by presenting for discussion an addition to the system of international governance that is morally justified and potentially practicable, referred to as ‘Collective Management’. The thesis focuses on the role of civil society, analysing arguments for and against a role for civil society that goes beyond ‘soft power’ to inclusion as voting members in inter-governmental decision-making structures in the United Nations (UN) system, the Bretton Woods institutions, the World Trade Organisation...
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