Chapter XX: English Philosophy (1648 - 1715)

Part I: Thomas Hobbes (1588 - 1697)

nasty, brutish and short

democracy is no more than an aristocracy of orators

the absolutist polity is a child of war, and democracy is a luxury of peace

every art should accept the moral obligation to be intelligible or silent

his book Oceana describes a utopian democracy as he wished Cromwell to bring to England
political power follows economic distribution which boils down to land in Harrington's view
- Harrington ignores other forms of wealth
limits on land per person are necessary to maintain healhty distribution of power
citizenship active in government, all serving terms
universal education
freedom of religion

fought reason with reason; which is indicative of the times
biblical evidence like eye witnesses considered too crazy to invent
proofs of God
proofs of Christians morality
folly of atheism
sensory knowledge's inability to satisfy emotional demands; loneliness of the soul
challenge to explain awareness; why should materialist body generate consciousness?
accusation that science built on false premise of cause

how should a thought be united to ... a lump of clay?

to hang weights on the wings of the wind seems far more intelligible

the larger souls, that have traveled the divers climates of opinion are more cautious in their resolves, and more sparing to determine

sober, industrious, patient – Puritan character with underlying warmth; sometimes hidden
cautious
over all a lot like John Rockefeller
never married; accused love of robbing him of reason

two treatises on Government which are the cornerstone of modern democratic theory
Essay Concerning Human Understanding is a primary text of modern psychology
- influential in French Enlightenment
developed theory of representative government
preached political liberty
established natural equality of man; equal rights under God
community is the rightful source of power
government primary purpose is preservation of property which is a sacred right
power of the executive branch needs some balancing power
freedome of religion; separation of church and state
all knowledge derived from experience, including conscence, belief in God, and ideas
primary (solid, count, shape, movement) and secondary (color, sound, odor) qualities
we know qualities; but not the actual underlying truth of matter
all reality is perception
his ideas leave the door open to materialism

added social instinct as a origin of society, as opposed to the "contract" of Hobbes
the larger the group inspiring community feelings in a person, the better the person
beauty is what we percieve as good
truth is a kind of beauty; a harmony of parts

aimed to oppose materialism because he saw it as source of atheism
nothing exists except by being percieved; mind is the ultimate reality; matter is not real
space itself is a mental construct based on experience; a blind man given sight has no depth perception)
to be is to be percieved