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Example research essay topic: Definition Of Justice State Of Nature - 1,288 words

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... mining the concepts illustrated above in conjunction with its inability to properly accommodate how certain grave injustices such as slavery are in fact unjust. One of Hobbes' defining features as a philosopher is that he was a very strong psychological egotist, meaning he believed that men are solely interested in their own good. Specifically, he stated that when presented with other pathways, men will always chose the path that allows them to live and live well and that men will always seek power, forsaking all other things. Since these rules still hold in the presence of a sovereign and covenants, it seems quite difficult to consider acting out of pure selfishness as ever being ethical. This can be seen in the grave injustice, slavery.

While it is obviously a grave injustice, Hobbes' version of justice cannot see it as so because the people enchaining the slaves are just working towards satisfying their desire for power and are trying to live and live well, even if it is through the suffering of others. The slave owners had not broken any covenant either, since non-contractors are not included in the moral protection provided by the sovereign. This is because, according to the definition of justice, an unjust act is only one that breaks a covenant between two or more people. The slaves are all from outside of the contract of the society and thus their suffering is not unjust according to Hobbes. This huge oversight for Hobbes and can also be applied to multiple other areas to show gaps in his theory. Religious discrimination cannot be labeled as unjust either by Hobbes due to the fact that other religions are not connected by the same covenant and thus are non-contractors.

Also, animal cruelty can be considered another oversight. This is because animals cannot speak nor enter a contract and are thus not covered under any covenant's moral protection. While, in all these cases, the person or animal being discriminated had not entered a specific covenant with the people of the culture, a supporter of Hobbes might respond that there may be an implicit contract that applies to all life, which allows for recognition of injustice to be seen outside of just the people within a group. This, I point out, is quite unlikely considering Hobbes' past president with presenting his arguments. He is very thorough and proof-like in his philosophy, always addressing each detail he feels is important. If Thomas Hobbes had intended this to be the case, he would have stated so, this making Hobbes's up porter's claim invalid.

Another case where Hobbes' version of justice is shown to be quite inadequate is in the case of a government sanctioned evils. In the case of a warmongering government, such as Germany in WWII, the government decided to begin expanding boundaries in an effort to expand the German empire. While this definitely was sanctioned by sovereign of the nation, whom all residents had covenanted to obey; this was not just in any way. The country had no right to invade another's home, but according to the Hobbes' definition of justice, it was perfectly just.

It would actually be considered unjust to not support the war efforts, because then you would be breaking a covenant. This is obviously absurd. Also, in the case of the United States in the 1800 's, America began the genocide of thousands of otherwise peaceful Native Americans. This, again, was sanctioned by the government, but was also absolutely unjust, showing another hole in Hobbes' definition of justice. Supporters of Hobbes' philosophical doctrine would state that he does actually state that it is not unjust to revolt against a sovereign if the government they give is no better than the state of nature he is supposed to be warding off. Thus, if things truly get awful, their covenant with their nation would be void and people would not be obligated to kill for their nation.

I, however, argue that no person ever has the right to take another's life and livelihood, no matter what the circumstances are. I also argue that it is a person's obligation to stand up against grave injustices such as these before they bring a state to near anarchy. It should be addressed immediately. Another case against Hobbes, I argue, is that the definition of justice as just keeping one's covenants is far too narrow.

There are too many variables within life on Earth for justice to take such a narrow, uncompromising standpoint. If all that justice was about was just keeping one's promises and had nothing to do with higher faculties, why is it that you can sometimes feel guilty even when just doing your job? The lack of the concepts such as human conscious from Hobbes' philosophical doctrine detracts from the adequacy of his concept of justice. This higher faculty of a human mind tends to act as an internal regulator that forces us to examine the consequences of future and past actions. Justice encompasses more than just doing what you are told, and I argue that there is an innate guiding force inside every person. According to Hobbes, if you just were following your covenants, you had done nothing unjust and were guilty of nothing.

I do not think this is true. As an example, this is not the case for thousands of people who come back from wars such as the one in Vietnam, where the soldiers were following their contracts to their sovereign perfectly. When they returned, many were ridden with guilt and horror of the things they needed to do, which is not the feelings of a just individual. Such saddening tales of people following their covenant, but nonetheless being involved in something unjust, is another case of how Hobbes' version of justice is inadequate and incomplete. With such a narrow viewpoint on the concept of justice and the complete negation of higher faculties such as human conscious, Hobbes' account of justice plainly has trouble dealing with a situation like this. After considerable thought, I argue that Hobbes's tance on the nature of justice should be called into question.

With his concept of justice showing so many faults in it's interpretations of such grave injustices as slavery, religious discrimination, animal cruelty, genocide and murder, it has become apparent that Hobbes' lacking in his concept of justice might not be isolated to grave injustices, but can be tracked back to some of his very first assumptions. Hobbes seems to assume that the natural position of man is one of chaos where everyone has right to everything and might makes right. It seems to me that this idea is questionable. Can mankind in general ever live in chaotic disunity?

Was there ever such a time as when man did not cooperate for continued survival? If not, then it seems rash to conclude that simply breaking a social covenant leads towards a state of nature and concurrently injustice. For example, even when rebels oust a government and institute a new one, they do not do so out of chaos, but out of a new and different order. From this, I believe it points towards the idea that society does not simply require covenants and sovereigns to produce justice, for humans have cooperated naturally since the dawn of man. Justice is a dynamic entity that Hobbes tried valiantly to tame and put in a very logical manner, but the basis he began off of was flawed along with his overly narrow viewpoint, resulting in a brilliant philosophical view that nevertheless cannot stand firmly to criticism regarding certain important variables. References: Hobbes, Thomas.

Leviathan. 1651. pp. 69 - 79. Rpt. In Modern Moral and Political Philosophy. London. Mayfield Publishing Company. 1999.


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Research essay sample on Definition Of Justice State Of Nature

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