HUMAN 105H, Winter, 2016
Week 2 (Tuesday) Class Notes, page 1
Tuesday, January 12, 2016
Announcements:
1. Exam 1.1 graded ASAP.
2. Temple visit Friday, 1-22-2016. We need more than 15 people to be able to
have a docent lead our tour. You may bring family and friends. How many
people will go?
3. Readings for today:
 Locke,
Chapter 2 from Of Civil Government at
http://www.constitution.org/jl/2ndtr02.htm
 Rousseau, The Social Contract, Book I at
http://www.constitution.org/jjr/socon_01.htm ***Annotations due
 Lao-tzu, the Tao-te Ching: Chapters 3, 17, 19, 26, 29-31, 37-38, 46, 53, 57-61,
65-67, 75, 80 at http://classics.mit.edu/Lao/taote.html
 Confucius, "Perfect Virtue" from the Analects (Lun Yu) at

http://www.confucius.org/lunyu/lange12.htm
Frost, "Mending Wall” at http://www.writing.upenn.edu/~afilreis/88/frostmending.html
4. See me about your Oral Report to plan and fine-tune your presentation.
a. You will need to give me a handout with some kind of overview or
outline, plus your Works Cited of your presentation. You may
decide to make copies for everyone or email them, have me post
them on the website, etc. See me about that and arrange it ahead of
time.
b. You’ll need to present your report on PowerPoint or in some other
way that is easy to see and follow. The reports are considered part
of the Unit’s materials and can be used on exams, so you need to be
very clear. Use pictures and graphics rather than a lot of text.
c. One key feature of the Report is to build into it some way to involve
everyone—an engaging activity, a video clip, a survey (which you
may give to everyone in advance of your report so as to have time to
analyze results), or anything else that your creative mind thinks of
to make an interesting and effective report for everyone.
5. See me as well about your Outside Report (movie, Temple visit, museum
visit, other religious site visit, book, or other experience, depending on the
unit) well in advance for source ideas, suggestions, and feedback on your
draft, which you may revise as much as you wish before the report
deadline.
6. The deadline for Unit 1 Oral and Outside Reports is extended as needed
beyond the original deadlines to this Friday, 1-15-2016. See me if you are
doing a Unit 1 report and need that additional time.
7. Exam 1.2 will be tomorrow, 1-13-2016.
Readings for Today—Society. Government and ways to organize and
motivate people to form an efficient and successful society. What kind of mindset
can unite individual minds within one well-run and happy society?
HUMAN 105H, Winter, 2016
Week 2 (Tuesday) Class Notes, page 2
John Locke, Chapter 2 from Of Civil Government at
http://www.constitution.org/jl/2ndtr02.htm In Groups, 3 items per group. Given
the main points of each section (4-15), explain in depth what they mean and imply.
1) Sec.4—freedom, equality as aspects of “state all men are naturally in”
2) Sec.5—natural equalitymutual love (basic intrinsic motivation to be kind and
just)
3) Sec. 6—Liberty, not “licence”; reason guides all people
4) Sec. 7—anyone can punish violators of the law of nature
5) Sec. 8—punishment must fit the crime; once again, everyone has this right to
punish offenders
6) Sec. 9—Refutation of counterargument—other leaders kill, punish; if they have
authority to punish, so does anyone else
7) Sec. 10—just as people can justly punish violators, they have the right to help
people victimized by crimes
8) Sec. 11—rights of punishing and preventing crimeseveryone “has right to kill a
murderer,” like killing a wild “beast,” Biblical precedent
9) Sec.12—anyone can punish offenders for less severe offenses too; must be fair;
goal = offender repents
10)
Sec.13—Summary: everyone has right to judge, granted by God to help
“restrain” people’s evil impulses; all rulers are only people too; but making
judgments/punishing others has grave responsibility
11) Sec. 14—Counterargument: are people really reasonable, rational? Answer:
people mutually agree to form communities; they are intrinsically motivated to
do so & do so naturally as humans
12) Sec. 15—more on counterargument: others, e.g. Hooker, agree that natural laws
are binding; natural laws are necessary, and people form societies that are just
out of basic needs and motives
a) Discussion: How would a society be run if Locke’s ideas about “The State
of Nature” or the way people naturally are, were put into use? Since he
influenced the Founding Fathers in the writing of the Constitution of the
US and other principles and documents, how many of his ideas are
actually in practice?
b) Other insights about Locke?
Rousseau, The Social Contract, Book I at
http://www.constitution.org/jjr/socon_01.htm. Fill in the blanks with key
phrases from Rousseau’s work:
1. “Man is born _____; and everywhere he is in ______.”
2. “______ is a sacred right which is the basis of all other rights. But this
right does not come from ______, and must therefore be founded on
________.”
3. “The most natural of all societies, and the only one that is natural, is the
_______,” which “may then be called the first model of political
societies.”
4. The whole difference is that, in the ________, the love of the father for
his children repays him for the care he takes of them, while, in the
_______, the pleasure of commanding takes the place of the love which
the chief cannot have for the peoples under him.”
5. “Aristotle…had said that men are by no means equal naturally, but that
some are born for ________, and others for _________.”
HUMAN 105H, Winter, 2016
Week 2 (Tuesday) Class Notes, page 3
6. “Aristotle was right; but he mistook the ______ for the ______.”
7. “The strongest is never strong enough to be the master, unless he
transforms strength into _______, and obedience into _______.”
8. “Let us then admit that ______ does not create ______, and that we are
obliged to obey only _________.”
9. “To renounce ________ is to renounce ____________.”
10. “__________ then is a relation, not between man and man, but between
________ and _______, and individuals are enemies only
________________....”
11. “The right of conquest has no foundation other than the right of the
________.”
12. “Even if we assume this terrible right to ______________, I maintain
that a slave made in war, or a conquered people, is under no obligation to
a __________, except to obey him as far as he is compelled to do so.”
13. “There will always be a great difference between
________________and ruling a society.”
14. “A people, says Grotius, can give itself to a _______.”
15. “Indeed, if there were no prior convention, where, unless the election
were unanimous, would be the obligation on the _________ to submit to
the choice of the __________? How have a hundred men who wish for a
master the right to vote on behalf of ten who do not?”
16. “’The problem is to find a form of ___________ which will defend and
protect with the whole ___________________ the person and goods
of each associate, and in which each, while uniting himself with ______,
may still obey himself _____, and remain as ______ as before.’ This is
the fundamental problem of which the Social Contract provides the
solution.”
17. “Finally, each man, in giving himself to all, gives himself to _______; and
as there is no associate over whom he does not acquire the same ______
as he yields others over himself, he gains an equivalent for everything he
________, and an increase of _______ for the preservation of what he
has.”
18. “Each of us puts his person and all his power in common under the
_________ direction of the _________________, and, in our
corporate capacity, we receive each member as an
_________________ part of the ____________.”
19. “At once, in place of the individual personality of each contracting party,
this act of association creates a _________ and __________ body,
composed of as many members as the assembly contains votes, and
receiving from this act its ______, its common identity, its _______ and
its _________.
20.
Note and explain this tabular summary of Rousseau’s final
paragraph of Book 1, Part 6:
Passive
Active
Individual
Public person
Personality
HUMAN 105H, Winter, 2016
Week 2 (Tuesday) Class Notes, page 4
Subjects
City
Citizens
Moral and collective
body
State
Republic, Body
politic
Sovereign
Power
21. Part 7. If a state has been unified in the deepest sense, but a person does
not go along with the will of the state, then he will be forced to
______________.
22.
Part 8. “What man acquires in the civil state, _________, which alone
makes him truly _____________; for the mere impulse of appetite is __________,
while obedience to a law which we prescribe to ourselves is _________.
23. Part 9. Which is stronger: the right to retain property in “the state of
nature” or by “the social compact”?
24. “In this right we are respecting not so much what belongs to another as
_______________.”
25. “Is it to be enough to set foot on a plot of common ground, in order to be able to
call yourself at once the master of it?” Is there a right to take over land by force
over the indigenous people on it?
26. “However the acquisition be made, the right which each individual has to his own
estate is always subordinate to________________________________: without
this, there would be neither stability in the social tie, nor real force in the exercise
of Sovereignty.”
27. “I shall end this chapter and this book by remarking on a fact on which the whole
social system should rest: i.e., that, instead of _____________________, the
fundamental compact substitutes, for such physical inequality as nature may have
set up between men, an _________ that is _______ and ___________, and that
men, who may be unequal in strength or intelligence, become every one _______
by __________ and ____________.”
Lao-tzu, the Tao-te Ching: http://classics.mit.edu/Lao/taote.html Activity: You’ll
be given one chapter to interpret. The interpretation has two aspects:
a) statement of interpretation (note: you may see more than one)
b) supporting quote—what indicates your interpretation(s)?
1) Part 1—Chapter 3
2) Chapter 17
3) Chapter 19
4) Chapter 26
5) Chapters 29-31
6) Chapter 37
7) Part 2—Chapter 38
8) Chapter 46
9) Chapters 53
10) Chapters 57-61
11) Chapters 65-67
HUMAN 105H, Winter, 2016
Week 2 (Tuesday) Class Notes, page 5
12) Chapter 75
13) Chapter 80
i) As a whole class, discuss various interpretations. What kinds of advice does
Lao give that pertain to individuals and society? What assumptions does Lao
appear to make about the natural state of humans?
1. Oral and Outside Reports, Continued. The construction of a sample report.
Outside Report.
a. Intro and thesis.
b. Summary of the movie (or overview of the temple or site visit, including 5
examples from it).
c. Connections (comparisons and/or contrasts) to current unit readings.
Emphasis of the report’s development.
d. A relevant outside source. Concise but meaningful connection to the
thesis.
e. Conclusion.
Oral Report.
a. Intro and thesis.
b. Information on the topic from the best possible sources. Explain concepts
and examples very clearly.
c. Connections to current unit.
d. Fabulous activity to demonstrate the thesis and/or information on the
topic: Video clip (no more than 2-3 minutes), Quiz (with prizes), Other
game, Activity to enact and in which to participate as a class, other
demonstration of the topic. Note: c and d may be in a different order
and/or combined in a logical way.
e. Conclusion.
2. Confucius (K'ung-fu-tzu), lit. "Master Kung), "Perfect Virtue" from the
Analects (Lun Yu) at http://www.confucius.org/lunyu/lange12.htm Note on
Confucius’ name: Confucius is an English adaptation (corruption) of
Kung-fu tzu. Information about this from Answers.com: In short, 功夫 (gōngfu)
means "achievement through great effort" or simply virtue. It combines 功
(gōng) meaning achievement or merit, and 夫 (fū) which translates into man. In
Mandarin, when two "first tone" words such as gōng and fū are combined, the
second word often takes a neutral tone, in this case forming gōngfu.
Count off from 1-24 until everyone in class has an assigned number, and thus an
assigned verse from Chapter 12 of the Lun Yu. Interpret that verse and be ready to
explain the particular meaning you are deriving from it. What in the verse can you cite as
support for your interpretation? Take notes of your own assigned verse, as well as those
of others that you hear in our discussion.
a. Verse 1
b. Verse 2
c. Verse 3
d. Verse 4
e. Verse 5
f. Verse 6
g. Verse 7
h. Verse 8
i. Verse 9
j. Verse 10
k. Verse 11
HUMAN 105H, Winter, 2016
Week 2 (Tuesday) Class Notes, page 6
l.
m.
n.
o.
p.
q.
r.
s.
t.
u.
v.
w.
x.
y.
Verse 12
Verse 13
Verse 14
Verse 15
Verse 16
Verse 17
Verse 18
Verse 19
Verse 20
Verse 21
Verse 22
Verse 23
Verse 24
Overview: What are some examples of advice to individuals about being
a good person?
z. What is the top priority for being a good person, as far as you can tell?
Explain.
aa. What are some examples of advice about government or organizing and
leading people? Which seems most important? Explain.
Robert Frost, “Mending Wall” at
http://www.writing.upenn.edu/~afilreis/88/frost-mending.html Develop
answers and support from the poem for each question. Take notes of these.
a. How do the speaker and the neighbor function as social humans? How
does the neighbor seem to feel about this? How does the speaker seem
to feel about this? Give examples that show or suggest how each person
feels. (Of course, we have much more from the speaker, so account for
as much as possible from him/her.)
b. Is the scenario described in the poem between the speaker and the
neighbor more the exception or the rule? Is this typical of human
attitudes? Explain your thoughts about this as well as what the poem
states and implies.
Overview of Unit 1.2 Readings: What does each reading say about the
foundation of a country?
Readings
Ideas/Foundations
of Government




Lao-tzu, the Tao-te Ching: Chapters 3, 17, 19,
26, 29-31, 37-38, 46, 53, 57-61, 65-67, 75, 80 at
http://classics.mit.edu/Lao/taote.html
Confucius, "Perfect Virtue" (Chapter 12) from
the Analects at
http://www.confucius.org/lunyu/lange12.htm
Locke, Chapter 2 from Of Civil Government at
http://www.constitution.org/jl/2ndtr02.htm
Rousseau, The Social Contract, Book I at
http://www.constitution.org/jjr/socon_01.htm


Moderation,
Wisdom
Morality, Patience




Equality
Freedom
Justice
Social
HUMAN 105H, Winter, 2016

Week 2 (Tuesday) Class Notes, page 7
Frost, "Mending Wall” at
http://www.writing.upenn.edu/~afilreis/88/fr
ost-mending.html

Responsibility
Cooperation vs.
Independence
Possible Foundations for a Society:
Justice
Freedom
Force
Equality
Of opportunity
Of outcome
Matriarchy
Meritocracy
Castes (ranks of class)
Capitalism (profit)
Religion
Morality
Education
Stoicism
Altruism
Austerity/Simplicity
Required Readings for the Exam (at least 4):
 Rousseau
 At least 3 others from Society segment of Unit 1
Note that this exam essay will involve your argumentative thesis as you propose
and explain an efficient way of organizing and leading society, using the readings
as your basis. Details of governmental operation are not as important for the
purposes of this essay as are the principle of government that you advocate. Your
careful, efficient development and explanation of insights, examples, and
explanations will provide for a highly successful essay.
Fun Facts: We are considering ideal governments and ideal countries, which is
the imagining of utopia. The origin of the word utopia is a combination of Greek
words translating to “not a place” or “nowhere.” If we use the homophone
eutopia, that translates to “good place.” Samuel Butler wrote a satire of Victorian
society in his book Erewhon (almost exactly the word nowhere backwards) in
1872.
Exam 1.2 is next time. Open readings. You may refer to notes that you wrote
yourself, including the Annotations on Rousseau.