Blog Political Philosophy and Foundation of Government

What do the political philosophers Locke, Rousseau, and Hobbes have to say about why people form government?  What do they say about sovereignty, power, legitimacy, and interdependence?  Do you agree with their theories?  How would YOU establish government?
Hobes believed that power was neseccary which is something that I believe in. Without rules and structure in our lives, what are we left with? Some form of anarchy that, in my opinion, would never be beneficial. I am a firm believer in routine, and I think part of having a form of government bleeds into my daily routines. In the car on my way to school I listen to Up First by NPR, which often discusses government. The government, and my taxes, keep my roads clear, and they are the ones to pick up the recycling that I take out to the curb. Without government I wouldn't have to go to school, which is a central part of my life. I would establish government with a view similar to Hobes, that without rules humans are thrown into uncomfortable chaos. Humans have been centered around leaders and roles of power since our existence, it is natural to have someone to look to. In having a social contract we are able to have a peaceful society, and free will in our daily lives. I agree with Locke that a social contract need not be just among the people but also include the government in their contract. He also believed in having a king, which is something that I disagree with. I think a government should consist of elected officials, that reflect the opinions of the population, not a king that rules with exclusively his own ideals. I don't think that the operations of Roousseaus direct democracy would work. His ideas of property are outdated with the current time period, and would never work in modern society. I think the idea would be appealing to me without the contructs of today's society, and I could definitely imagine myself living as Native Americans did. Living off the land, and regarding it as a being, not property of humans. But I agree with Rousseaus view that religion would weaken the state, and that the church and state should be separated. If I could change one thing about our current government it would be to remove all mentions of God and religion in our constitution and amendments. I think the US should be a place for all religions, devoid of the mentions of one particular God or another. 
I'd like to have a government based on environmental sustainability, and enforce that ideal throughout our society.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

COVID-19 Blog

As the coronavirus rages on, an important question arises: should western countries aid the so-called "third world," particularly Africa, in combating the pandemic? I believe the answer is no, for two main reasons. My first objection is rather obvious: the United States currently has more confirmed COVID cases than all of Africa combined, and it isn't close. There are several possible explanations, including the warmer weather, but the exact reason isn't necessarily relevant. After a domestic coronavirus response which can only be described as a disaster of earth-shattering proportions, who are we to go on an international health crusade? There are millions of vulnerable Americans who are currently unable to receive adequate care. Our resources need to be going to them first, not abroad, and most certainly not to parasitic, too-big-to-fail corporations. My second objection: when was America's last successful large-scale international intervention, viole...
Read more

SARS CoV-2, COVID-19, and The World

It's no secret that right now the SARS CoV-2 is wreaking havoc across the world. As of today, the United States has surpassed China as the nation with the most cases of the novel coronavirus, with over 86,000 cases in our country to date. This is all pretty crazy, especially considering that this is all because of a pathogen that supposedly started with either bats or pangolins (the only mammal in the world known to have scales) in a small localized region of China. Of course, it's not only the health effects that are wide-reaching; the social effects are also just as prevalent. One of the ways in which the world is rapidly changing in regards to social effects is through panic buying of goods at places such as supermarkets and hypermarkets such as Walmart. However, the good news is that food in general is not going to run out; there may be shortages of certain particular items, nevertheless, as certain nations have curtailed exports. What is bound to change, possibly permanent...
Read more

COVID-19 Blog

As the spread of COVID-19 becomes greater many opinions on how to respond to this global pandemic have surfaced. Just a few months ago much of the population in the United States felt unthreatened by the virus as it spread through China, being concentrated in Wuhan, and later spreading in Europe. It was not until the virus quickly erupted in the United States that we each understood the true severity of this pandemic. Now we are seeing how individuals are being greatly impacted by this virus as we are all being asked to stay home and the everyday parts of our lives have been flipped upside down. In the opinion piece about what responsibility developed countries have for helping less developed countries I both agreed and disagreed. My initial response is that if places, like the United States, are struggling with medical resources how can we even begin to be helpful in less developed countries. Hospitals all throughout the United States are beginning to have to make life or death decisi...
Read more