Social Organization and Political Power: Plato, Hobbes, Locke, and Smith
Two Models of Basic Social Organization
- Primitive tribal societies: A small number of members employ a subsistence economy.
- Modern societies with states: Institutions have political power, and there are distinct groups according to their functions, privileges, or economic power.
Legitimate Political Power According to Two Types of Criteria
- According to their origin: In the Middle Ages, it was often considered that legitimate power came from God.
- As a function of development: For Plato, the goal of political power was to establish justice. Aristotle sought the common good. For Hobbes, it was security. For Locke, it was natural rights and the defense of the right to property.
Plato’s Virtues and the Ideal State
- Wisdom or prudence: The virtue of the rational part of the soul.
- Strength or value: The virtue of the irascible part of the soul.
- Temperance: The virtue of the desiring part of the soul.
According to Plato, justice is achieved when each part of the soul fulfills its specific strengths.
Three Strata in Plato’s Ideal State
- The ruler-philosopher: Responsible for leading citizens, and must be elected from among the wisest and most prudent.
- The warrior-guardians: In charge of defending the city; the strongest and bravest citizens.
- Producers: Responsible for producing the goods needed for life; their virtue is temperance.
The Polis and Government
Polis: The perfect group; it is self-sufficient. Only in the polis can human beings achieve happiness. Citizens are only fit to reach this state.
Government: The way of organizing society.
Correct Forms of Government
Those in which the rulers rule for the benefit of all citizens.
- Monarchy: When one governs for the good of the community.
- Aristocracy: When a minority of the best rules, or in order to achieve the best.
- Republic: When the majority governs.
Incorrect Forms of Government
- Tyranny: When one governs for their own benefit or that of a group. It is the degeneration of monarchy.
- Oligarchy: When the rich govern for their own benefit. It is the degeneration of aristocracy.
- Democracy: When the poor, who are the majority, rule to their advantage. It is the degeneration of the republic.
The State’s Primary Purpose
According to Hobbes, the state’s primary purpose is to maintain security against potential external enemies.
Hobbes’ State of Nature
Hobbes believed the state of nature would be characterized by:
- Men living freely, without any limitation. This freedom is called natural law.
- Men in this state are driven by two principles:
- To defend their own lives.
- To satisfy their natural appetites.
- Men can wish for anything from their fellow men: to steal, subjugate them, humiliate them, etc.
Locke’s State of Nature and Natural Law
Natural law: All the rights that a human being would have.
Locke believed the state of nature would be characterized by:
- Individuals being in possession of some natural rights, given by God.
- Men being rational beings, and therefore free.
- The state of nature not being a state of war, but a state where men coexist in equality and freedom.
Liberalism
A current of thought facing the remnants of absolutism and feudalism.
Liberal Political Theory
Liberal political theory is characterized by:
- Separation between civil society and the state. Civil society emerges from the interrelations of individuals moved by their interests.
- State powers should be limited. Locke defended the separation between the legislative, executive-judicial, and federal powers.
- The state exists only to resolve conflicts between individuals. Civil society emerges to satisfy the interests of individuals.
- Right of revolt: Power is received from the people, who always have the right to rebel.
Liberal Economic Theory (Adam Smith)
Focuses on defending the free market: freedom to buy and sell, freedom to hire and fire workers, and minimization of state intervention in economic affairs.
Contractualism
A political theory that considers the state to be born of a social contract.
Characteristics of Natural Man
- Men live in isolation.
- They are strong, healthy, and self-sufficient.
- They are basically the same, without inequality.
- Men are moved by two impulses:
- Self-preservation.
- Pity.
Two Features that Distinguish Humans from Other Species
- Natural liberty: The ability of humans to choose what they want to do outside of any natural rule.
- The ability to self-improve or perfectibility: The capacity of humans, both individually and collectively, to transform their lives.