Summary
Summary International Political Theory IPC3701 - Thomas Hobbes ()
- Institution
- University Of South Africa (Unisa)
Summary International Political Theory IPC3701 - Thomas Hobbes () Essay
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IntroductionThomas Hobbes (1588-1679) has a pessimistic view of human beings
which inspires his view of the state and a gloomy picture of international
politics.
For Hobbes, human reason is but one aspect of human nature existing
alongside passion, desires and self-centeredness. Self-centeredness is
considered to be the dominant trait of the human character.
He expresses this by claiming that the attitude of human beings towards
their fellow is that of a wolf – unless restrained by fear, human life will
not be social, but will decline towards domination. This forms the basis of
the central premise of Hobbes view of society, which is that all
permanent human relationships are based on mutual fear rather than
mutual goodwill.
Theory
Explain the tenets of Realism and provide a detailed example of each by
making use of Hobbes’ ideas.
• Pessimism
• Power
• Anarchy
• Foreign policy gets prominence
• Opportunism
• War inevitable
• Ethics justified in terms of necessity
Human nature
• Humans are passionate and act upon their self-centered desires.
• Self-centeredness is the dominant trait of being human.
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