Wednesday 27 January 2016

Thomas Hobbes

Thomas Hobbes was an English philosopher, best known for his work in political philosophy. Born on April 5, 1588, in Westport (now part of Malmesbury), Wiltshire, England, he lived during a time of great political and religious upheaval in Europe. Here is an overview of his early life and some of his major achievements:

Early Life:

  1. Family Background: Thomas Hobbes was born into a relatively humble family. His father, also named Thomas Hobbes, was a disgraced Anglican clergyman who left his family when Thomas was still very young. His mother, also named Thomazine, later remarried.

  2. Education: Despite the challenging circumstances, Hobbes received a good education. He attended the Malmesbury Grammar School and later studied at Magdalen Hall (now Hertford College), Oxford, from 1603 to 1608. There, he studied classics, philosophy, and science, and his education laid the groundwork for his future intellectual pursuits.

  3. Early Career: After completing his studies, Hobbes worked as a tutor for the Cavendish family (the Earls of Devonshire). His position as a tutor provided him with opportunities to travel, meet prominent intellectuals, and delve deeper into his philosophical interests.

Achievements:

  1. Political Philosophy: Hobbes is most renowned for his contributions to political philosophy. In his major work, "Leviathan" (1651), he presented his social contract theory and articulated the idea of a strong central authority or sovereign to maintain order and prevent the chaos of the state of nature.

  2. State of Nature and Social Contract: Hobbes's conception of the state of nature, a hypothetical pre-political condition, depicted a life without government as "nasty, brutish, and short." He argued that individuals would voluntarily submit to a social contract, surrendering some freedoms to the sovereign in exchange for protection and stability.

  3. Sovereignty and Absolutism: Hobbes believed in the absolute power of the sovereign, advocating for an authoritarian form of government to prevent the potential chaos that would arise from decentralized authority.

  4. Materialist Philosophy: Beyond his political ideas, Hobbes made significant contributions to materialist philosophy. He argued that everything, including human thoughts and emotions, could be explained by the mechanical movements of matter.

  5. Scientific Contributions: Hobbes also had an interest in mathematics and physics. He corresponded with prominent scientists of his time, including Galileo and René Descartes, and contributed to the development of modern optics.

  6. Influence: Hobbes's ideas sparked intense debates and controversies during his lifetime and continue to influence political thought and philosophy to this day. His views on the nature of government, individual rights, and the social contract remain crucial topics in political theory.

Thomas Hobbes's work significantly shaped the development of political philosophy and had a profound impact on subsequent thinkers and political systems. He passed away on December 4, 1679, in Hardwick Hall, Derbyshire, England, leaving behind a lasting legacy in the world of philosophy and political thought.



Niccolo Machiavelli

His life
Niccolo Machiavelli born in Florence on May 3, 1469 and expired in 1527. He was an Italian historian, Statesman and political philosopher who is very popular because of his thoughts gull of cunning and duplicity.
Machiavelli joined government services as a clerk and rose to prominence when the Florentine Republic was proclaimed in 1498. He was secretary of the ten man council that conducted the diplomatic negotiations and supervised the military operations of the republic, and his duties included missions to the French king (1504, 1510-1511), the Holy See (1506), and the German Emperor (1507-1508). During his diplomatic missions within Italy he knew many study their political tactics, particularly of Cesare Borgia, who was at that time engaged in enlarging his holdings in central Italy. From 1503 to 1506 Machiavelli reorganized the military defense of the republic of Florence. In 1523, when the Medici, a Florentine family, regained power in Florence and the republic was dissolved, he was deprived of office and imprisoned for alleged conspiracy against the Medici. Lorenzo was the last Medici ruler at that time and Machiavelli dedicated his ‘the Prince of Lorenzo. After his release he retired to his estate near Florence, Where he wrote his most important works. Despite his attempts to gain favor with the Medici rulers, he was never restored to his government position, he died in Florence on June 21, 1527.
Throughout his career Machiavelli sought to establish a state capable of resisting foreign attack. His writings are concerned with the Principles on which such a state is founded, and with the means by which they can be implemented and maintained. His book originally known as “ ALL Princhi Pay’’. i.e the Prince has world-wide fame. In his book he describes the method by which a prince can acquire and maintain political power.

Machiavellian ism, as a term has been used to describe the principles of power politics, and the type of person who uses principles in political or personal life is frequently described as a Machiavellian.
Machiavelli's View of Human Nature:-
Machiavelli analyzed human nature and in the very opening pages his 'THE PRINCE' he explains that how a standard human being ought to be and how is he in practice, there wide gulf. In the  Prince Niccolo maciavelli  presents a view of governing a state that is severely different from that of humanists of his authority determining every aspect of the state and put in effect a policy, which would serve his best interests. these interests were gaining, maintaining.

Saint Thomas Aquinas

Early Life
Thomas Aquinas ( 1225 – 1274 ) was an Italian philosopher and theologian, whose work have made him the most important figure in Scholastic philosophy and one of the leading Roman Catholic theologians.
Aquinas was born of a noble family and was educated at a monastery at the University of Naples. In 1245 Aquinas then journeyed to Paris to continue his studies. Because learners called him Dumb Ox, but Albertus Magnus (his teacher) is said to have predicted that “this ox will one day fill the world with his bellowing.’’
He began to teach at the University of Paris in 1252.In 1256 Aquinas was awarded a doctorate  in theology and appointed as professor of philosophy at the university of paris. Pope Alexander IV called him to Rome in 1259, where he acted as adviser and lecturer to the papal court.
During the 13th century, Saint Thomas Aquinas sought to reconcile Aristotelian Philosophy with Augustinian theology. Aquinas employed both reason and faith in th study of metaphysics, moral philosophy, and religion.while Aquinas accepted the existence ofGod on fiath, he offered five proofs of God’s Existence to support such a belief.
In March 1274 while traveling to the Council of Lyon, to which he had been commissioned by pope Gregory X, Aquinas fell ill.

He died on March 7. 

Thursday 7 January 2016

Aristotle

                                                       Early  Life                                                                 


Aristotle born in 384 BC and expires in 322 BC, Aristotle, the Greek philosopher shares with Plato and Socrates the distinction of being the most famous of the ancient philosophers. Born at Stagira, in Macedonia, the son of a physician to the royal court, Aristotle moved to Athens to study at Plato's Academy. He remained there for about 20 Years, first as a student and then as a teacher. He was a famous pupil of Plato. He became tutor to Alexander the Great. In 335 BC, when Alexander became king, Aristotle returned to Athens and established his own school, the lyceum. Because much of discussion in his school took place while teachers and students were walking about the lyceum grounds, it came to be known as the peripatetic (walking and scrolling) school. He died there in 332 BC.

Aristotle is about the first regular political philosopher and his book “Politics “has worldwide fame. He presented very important political thoughts in his book. Although first book written on political thoughts is that of Plato but due to real ideologies on politics, Aristotle's efforts are more reliable and authentic. Therefore, one is justified to say that Aristotle is the father of Political science.

Aristotle Concept of origin of state

Plato's concept of ideal state was mere a theoretical scheme, which has not yet been applied. On contrary, the concept of state presented by Aristotle has logical grounds. Aristotle’s concept of the origin of state can be started from his famous quotations, “Man is a political animal, destined by nature for state life. “State exits for the sake of good life, and for the sake of life only."

Aristotle, the father of political science, says that person is a political animal and is different from the other animals because of his civilized nature or nature of going from good to better and from better to the best, Human progress and cultured status is impossible without interrelations, so, man prefers to live to live with others to get various basic needs, especially economic and racial needs, man and women, mater and slaves came together and as a result, the first institution of human civilization, family was formed. So, family is to give utility. When families increased, they made villages to solve some greater needs. Due to some other greater problems and needs, the tribes and villages united in a single and greater institution, the state. According to Aristotle, State is a magnified useful human institution comprised of different type of people where all people are welded by nature by habit and by need. In the words of Aristotle," Family is the association established by nature for the supply of man's every day wants. But when several families are united and the association aims at something more than the supply of daily needs, then come into existence the village. When several villages are united in a single community, Perfect and large enough to be merely quite self-suffering, the state comes into existence, originating in the vary needs of life and continuing  in existence for the sake of good life."

                                                      Individuals---Families---Villages---State.

The economic needs of individual may be fulfilled in his family but his full moral and rational uplift is possible only within the state. It is state that provides suitable Environment for human development.

NATURAL INSTITUTION:-

He holds that family is not imposed one or artificial institution but natural. Similarly, State is the magnified form of family therefore, state is also a natural institution. This natural institution is the logical outcome of the human need to develop his potentialities. Fosters supports Aristotle concept by saying that. It is like a nest not like a cage."

Historical/ evolutionary concept:-

Aristotle's Concept by saying that he believed in evolutionary or historical theory of the origin of state. Therefore, his approach in this connection is correct, Man as a civilized individual cannot survive without state and if he claims, then it means he homeless. He is either above or below humanity.

Happiness:-   

Aristotle is of the view that mere unity of the families into villages and of villages into a greater society or state is not the end point. After establishing a society it is must that there will be peace and development, which is impossible without happiness. A happy society on one side is to provide benefits and mental pleasures but on the other is to ensure a stable society.

Administration:-

He is of the opinion that a good family has a head who is to administer the affairs of his family. His orders are followed by the family members.in this way there is a head of the village, tribe or colony who tries to solve the problems of his subjects through his talent and capabilities. When various villages are to form a state through their unity, the same sate is in need of an administration. This administration is to control the state. This administration according to Aristotle is government. Head of that government is called sovereign or king.

Balanced collectivism:-

He is influenced of his teacher, Plato and accepts his view that human being is incomplete out of the state. A civilized man cannot live alone. He is in the need of assistance and cooperation of his other fellow being. His basic needs of life are grand which he cannot face lonely. But Aristotle like Plato does not sacrifice his individuality for the state. His approach in this connection is balanced. He says individual and state are not two different things. If there is individual, there is state and if there is state there is respect of individual. Both are the needs of each other.

State – A source of benevolence and unity:-

Aristotle holds that state is a strong source of benevolence and unity. Human survival is dependent upon benevolence and unity. Mutual unity is to mix people of different professions, tastes and qualities. They are to share their capabilities, which provide happiness to society. So, it is state, which provide unity.

Two organizations to develop sate:-

He says when state comes into being, there are two organizations. Through which try their best to develop the state i.e. moral organizations coordination, discipline love and fraternity and unity are produced. It keeps a society healthy and full of justice. Political organizations are to run the state administration; stabilize societies and provides protection to state. These political organizations are to ensure protection from the neighboring enemies. Protection of the international borders is to play a significant role in internal happiness.