Competing Philosophies of
Society and Government

The State of Nature is the time and place before
people lived in society – before governments existed

A Natural Law is a law that existed before
governments and still exists today – it is an
unbreakable law

A Social Contract is an agreement between people
(society) where they agree to create government and
leave the State of Nature

How do people behave in the State of Nature?

Why do people seek to leave the State of Nature?

What does the Social Contract look like (what should
government look like)?

Where does Golding fall on these issues?

What is our Primary Appetite?

How do we feed our Primary Appetite?

What is Scarcity in the State of Nature?

How are we free in the State of Nature?

How are we equal in the State of Nature?

Is the State of Nature a pleasant place?

Why must a Civil Society be constructed?
◦ What (who) is the Sovereign?
◦ Why must the power of the Sovereign be absolute?
◦ Why is a democracy not a good choice?

How does Locke define Natural Laws differently
than Hobbes?

What does Locke’s State of Nature look like?

What is a Virtual Natural Government?

According to Locke, is the State of Nature
necessarily a State of War?

What does Locke say about liberty?

Is this sense of liberty license?

According to Locke, what does the Political Society
require?

Where does supreme power continue to reside, even
after the creation of Political Society?

According to Locke, what form of government best
represents the people?

Is Civil Society a good thing?

What was the State of Nature like?

According to Rousseau, are we equal?

What creates inequality?

Can we return to the State of Nature?

So what should be the goals of our Civil Society?

How do we create this?

What is the General Will?

How does the General Will avoid oppression?

How is the General Will ‘general’