Thomas Hobbes vs. Aristotle

Paper Summary:

This paper relates that Thomas Hobbes viewed (1) man as being egoistic, self-interested and always aiming towards self-preservation; (2) yet, man can act in ways that are not selfish to preform civic duties and help society and (3) man is in a state of constant war with one another due to the fact that immediate authority is unattainable. The author stresses that Hobbes says that self-preservation is pre-eminent in the nature of man and anything done to keep that motive is humanistic and should be done without recourse. The paper explains that, to Aristotle, (1) mankind is climbing a ladder to reach an end goal of happiness; (2) climbing the steps of the ladder is done in a way that is good for the rest of the community; however, (3) self-sufficiency is the highest virtue of all.

From the Paper:

"Aristotle wrote comparatively little on tyranny and its affects on society. According to Aristotle, either the one, the few, or the many rule. Human beings are by nature political and will suffer greatly under despotism or a tyrannical monarchy. A polis that would concern itself only with the negative functions of protecting persons or property is not truly a polis in Aristotle's eyes. Nature's role in the polis was to positively develop human potential and create habits. Despite his conservatism and defending monarchy, Aristotle often displayed genuine fait in the political participation and intelligence of ordinary citizens."

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