Machiavelli, Hobbes-LH 9-10. FL 11-12, HWT 11-13.... MEETING THURSDAY (not Tuesday) for Library instruction in LIB 264a
1. What did Machiavelli say a leader needs to have? Do you agree? Is it important to you for our leaders to be reliably honest, with exceptions only for instances of national security and the nation's best interests?
2. Machiavelli's philosophy is described as being "rooted" in what? Does your own experience confirm his appraisal of human nature and what's "realistic"?
2. Machiavelli's philosophy is described as being "rooted" in what? Does your own experience confirm his appraisal of human nature and what's "realistic"?
3. The idea that leaders should rule by fear is based on what view of human nature? Do you respond more positively to politicians who appeal to pessimism and fear, or to those who appeal to hope?
4. Life outside society would be what, according to Hobbes? Do you think your neighbors would threaten your survival if they could get away with it?
5. What fear influenced Hobbes' writings? Do any particular fears influence your political opinions?
6. Hobbes did not believe in the existence of what? Do you? Why or why not?
HWT
1. How do eastern and western philosophies differ in their approach to things, and what is ma? Which do you find more appealing?
2. An interest in what is much more developed in eastern thought? Do you share it?
3. What is dukkha?
4. What is Sakura?
5. What takes the place of religion in China? Do you know people here who have found religion-substitutes?
6. Chinese thought does not distinguish between natural and ____, focusing on what?
7. What is the famous story of Zhuangzi? What's your reaction to it?
8. The Japanese fascination with robots reflects what traditional view? Are you similarly fascinated?
FL
1. What was Arthur C. Clarke's 3d law regarding technology, and what's its converse?
2. What was the original "alternative medicine" and what is its "upside"?
3. What national craze of the 1830s relied on a "totally bogus extrapolation"?
4. Who was Mary Baker Eddy and what are her followers misleadingly called?
5. Who was Dr. William A. Rockefeller?
6. What did Mark Twain say about history?
7. How was the California Gold Rush an "inflection point" in how Americans thought about reality?
8. What did de Tocqueville say was "the chief or secondary motive in everything Americans do"?
1. Machiavelli said that leaders needed to learn how to seem good and honest, but to have qualities like a cunning fox and strong lion. I disagree, I would want my leaders to be honest and good as much as they can be.
ReplyDelete2. Machiavelli said that his own philosophy was rooted in that really happens. I think he may have an accurate depiction of what humanity can be like at its worst, but adapting to those qualities in a way that encourages them I think is wrong. It will lead to more and more instances of bad humans.
3. It is based on the idea that humans will betray to suit their own interests, and that the only way to keep them in line is to rule by fear of the consequences of that betrayal.
4. Life outside of society would be solitary, poor, nasty, brutish, and short. I think that humans have a strong tendency towards loyalty, and people you had previously built strong bonds with you could likely trust. Of course, families will do anything for their kids, so you might need to be wary of that relationship. But otherwise, we can accomplish more by working together and we are already predisposed to loyalty.
5. The fear that England would reduce into anarchy influenced Hobbes' writings. Fears that influence my political opinions might be a fear of the growing subjectivity of truth, and the fear of living under a dictatorship, or any government that would restrict freedoms that I feel are very important to hold on to in the society we have today.
6. Hobbes did not believe in the existence of what? Do you? Why or why not?
Hobbes did not believe in the existence of a God, or anything outside of the physical world we have in front of us. I do believe in a God. I believe in the existence of a perfect God, one who is loving and just at the same time. A God who created a way to save us from the sin that we choose to live in over living in the way that He has outlined for us in His Word. The bible says that "God shows His love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us." (Romans 5:8) I believe this because I have felt and seen the effects of sin on the world, and also seen the changes in mind and my friends life as they become more like Christ the way we are called to be. I believe that God makes His presence known to us through the complexities of the world He has created and through the saving power of the Gospel.
I definitely agree with you on your response to question 6. God does make his presence known.
Delete^ Sydney Boyce, #11
ReplyDeleteAaron Petty
ReplyDeleteSection #7
LH
1. Machiavella said a leader needed to have valor. I don't completely agree with him, but a leader does need to be pro-active and willing to not trust anyone. I believe there's a difference between being completely honest and telling the truth. You can tell the truth without including unimportant details. So, a leader needs to be willing to tell the whole truth but keep the gritier details to themself.
2. His philosophy is described as being rooted in what really happens. Sometimes a leader has to make a tough call for the betterment of his nation. Governments can't always expect to look on the bright side.
3. The belief that leaders should rule by fear is based on the idea that humans are naturally unreliable, greedy, and dishonest. I find a mix of realism and hope is good for a politician. We can't always have hope, or cynicism. Generally realizing both are realistic is necessary.
4. According to Hobbes, life outside society would be like hell. I do believe outside of a society, people would become more extreme in their methods of survival.
5. His fear that England could descend into anarchy influenced his writing. I think most people's political opinions are fueled by fear. If I dig deep enough, I imagine most of mine are as well.
6. Hobbes didn't believe in the existence of the soul. I do believe in the soul because in my opinion, our consciousness is a by product of it. Without a consciousness how would we know good from bad. People can tell you what they want, but ultimately we are the ones who decide the good and evil of this world.
LH 6. Thomas Hobbes did not believe in the existence of the soul. I do think we have souls within us. For me, the best case for the soul's existence comes from a type of "six sense" that I know I have felt and that I'm pretty sure others have also experienced. It's a feeling I can't describe with words, but it is authentic. Like a whirlwind of vibrations, this feeling can come with a powerful and emotional sensation, if that makes any sense. It lets me know I'm more than just some "fleshy" mechanism.
ReplyDeleteHWT 4. Sakura is the Japanese word for the cherry blossom tree.
FL 6. "History never repeats itself, but it does often rhyme." - Mark Twain
Sabirin#11
DeleteI agree with your opinion; while the soul is intangible, I can feel its presence and it does let me know I'm not some fleshy mechanism.
mona ikbariah #7
ReplyDelete1- Machiavelli believed that a leader should have what is called in Italian virtu meaning manliness or valour. Yes, I agree that every leader has to be brave, strong, and honest. It is important for leaders to be honest but not in everything. If honesty means sacrificing other people’s life’s then it's not worth it. Not being honest all the times can save people for example when there is a critical situation going on.
2- Mchiavellis philosophy is described as being rooted in what really happens.
3- The idea that leaders should be feared than loved is important because if leaders rely on people who love them, there is a higher chance they might abandon or betray them. However, if leaders relied on people who fear them, they won’t be able to betray the leader because they know that there will be consequences and it probably punishment.
4- Life outside society would be solitary, poor, nasty, brutish, and short.
5- Hobbes writings were influenced by the fear that England could descend into anarchy
6- Hobbes didn’t believe in the existence of soul.
Savannah Spann
ReplyDeleteLH:
1. He said that the most important thing for a prince or leader was to stay in power, even if that meant doing no good or lying. I do not agree. I think a truly good leader should practice honesty with their people to maintain a solid foundation of trust. That in itself can be a huge factor of keeping that power as well.
2. His philosophy was rooted in what really happens. Personally, my experience does not reflect this concept.
3.“If you rely on people loving you, then you risk them abandoning you when times get tough.” This is the idea he expressed for why ruling by fear is the best option. People won’t leave if they are terrified of the consequences. This in a way is a valid tactic to maintain power, but in no way is it an enjoyable way to live life.
4. He describes this as the “state of nature” without laws or leadership. I think there are most definitely people around me that would be a threat if they had the opportunity to do so without consequence.
5. A large portion of what influenced his writings were his own experiences. He had been through a lot of hard times and dangerous situations in life, especially early on.
6. He believed that there was no such thing as the soul, and that we are just human bodies. I disagree. I most definitely believe that we each have a soul and an energetic presence outside of and beyond just our body and minds on this earth.
Savannah Spann
ReplyDeleteHTW:
1. Western philosophy tends to focus on things, while eastern focuses on the space between things. I find the Eastern outlook more appealing because it looks through and beyond what is simply right in front of us.
2. The interest in betweenness is much more developed in eastern thought. I do share this interest.
3. It describes the experiences of a somewhat normal and consistent life that has no excitement and in turn is seen as misery and painful.
4. Cherry blossoms which represent the fleeting nature of life as they fall abruptly.
5. Nature often takes the place of religion in China. I know lots of people that have found alternatives to religion, even myself.
6. Supernatural (ex: tian)
7. Zhuangzi can not differentiate his dream of the butterfly from the butterfly’s dream of him.
8. It represents the advancement in life and technology and the reverence for nature being old and out of date, as well as no longer prominent in life.
Chloe Rush #7
ReplyDeleteLh-
1. Machiavelli said that a leader needs to have valour or manliness. I agree to some degree. I think that every leader should display this quality but it should not be the only thing that they are know for. I think it is important for leaders to be reliably honest, with those exceptions of course.
2. His philosophy is described as being rooted in what really happens. I do not think my experiences in life can fall in line with this idea.
3. The idea that leaders should be feared rather than loved is based on the idea that if your people fear you, they will be less likely to abandon you. Personally, I respond to politicians than lean more towards preaching hope.
I agree with Machiavelli as far as how "Half of what happens to us is down to chance and half is a result of our choices..." I also agree on his belief of taking preventative measures, just not to the extreme he thought. Some of the "manly" actions he approved of aren't manly, they are just downright gruesome and overkill. Even though these actions might have worked for the leaders, there might have been a better way to achieve what they wanted.
ReplyDeleteSamantha pleitez #12
ReplyDeleteHWT
3. Dukkha means pain/suffering.
4. Sakura is a cherry blossom tree.
5. Well china is mostly part of an atheist group. They have other beliefs of Buddhism.
6. Supernatural
Laney #11
ReplyDeleteLife outside of society would be nasty and brutish according to Hobbes. He thinks everyone was bad/ selfish and without the fear of punishment would embrace this. I don't know if my neighbors would threaten my survival if there were no rules, but if Hobbes is right then I'm sure they would.
1. Ma is the Japanese concept of the space between. It is not embraced in the west and seen as just silence, when really it is 'made to speak volumes.'
ReplyDelete3. Dukkha is suffering and letting go of it is the path to enlightenment.
4. Sakura is the Japanese word for cherry blossom tree and represents the Japanese people for their emphasis on transience.
Laney #11
Cole #7
ReplyDelete1. He said that leaders need virtu. I believe it is very important because it allows the people to understand what you are as a person and it allows them to understand what they will be like as a leader.
2. It was rooted in realism and talked about what really happened.
3. It's a very thin between love and fear. If a leader is feared then it can lead to resentment while love can allow the people to leave you when the times get tough because you can't do what is right because it is a tough decision.
Sabirin#11 (LH)
ReplyDelete4. Life outside society would be "solitary, poor, nasty, brutish, and short" according to Hobbes. If my neighbor's survival depended on the loss of mine then perhaps they would threaten my survival. In the situation Hobbes described, it's every person for themselves. Human nature can be selfish; in life threatening situations, humans are more likely to think of how they can save themselves first. This doesn't mean that they'll abandon the thought of saving everyone else, it just means that they themselves are their first concern because it is their life. However in this lawless society, I think it would be hard for the majority to trust others and work together because we are all fearing that we will be betrayed and eventually killed by those we trusted.
6. Hobbes did not believe in the existence of the soul. He believed that we were simply physical beings, nothing more. I strongly disagree with Hobbes; I believe the soul is the very essence of the human body. I believe the soul animates the body and without a soul we would be dead.
1. What did Machiavelli say a leader needs to have? Do you agree? Is it important to you for our leaders to be reliably honest, with exceptions only for instances of national security and the nation's best interests?
ReplyDeleteMachiavelli believed that a leader needs to have virtue. It is important for our leaders to keep information in public domain at all times, and work to create a society that is accepting of it. This keeps all of society on top of the nation's issues and allows more than a few self-proclaimed leaders of policy to decide how we live in our country. If all Americans understood that Gas was artificially inflated, we would have overthrown Exxon mobil.
2. Machiavelli's philosophy is described as being "rooted" in what? Does your own experience confirm his appraisal of human nature and what's "realistic"?
Machiavelli expresses his philosophy as being rooted in Realism.
Isaak Cadet #11 (LH)
ReplyDelete1. Machiavelli argued that a leader needs need to have qualities of someone cunning and ruthless towards while seeming good hearted towards their subjects, and to be honest I don’t completely disagree with belief. Much like anything else, there is a place for honesty I concur, but this is only so extensive. In many matters circumstances, I do think it is much more important to be able to garner faith than much else and, although you may deceive them, I find that as long as this is done in good faith it can often be rationalized.
1. What did Machiavelli say a leader needs to have? Do you agree? Is it important to you for our leaders to be reliably honest, with exceptions only for instances of national security and the nation's best interests?
ReplyDeleteMachiavelli said that a leader needs to have virtu. I do not agree completely with him, but I do agree that a leader needs to be proactive instead of just sit around. It is important to me that a leader is honest unless it is something that can be harmful if made public.
2. Machiavelli's philosophy is described as being "rooted" in what? Does your own experience confirm his appraisal of human nature and what's "realistic"?
Machiavelli’s philosophy is deeply rooted in what really happens.
3. The idea that leaders should rule by fear is based on what view of human nature? Do you respond more positively to politicians who appeal to pessimism and fear, or to those who appeal to hope?
This idea was based on that if you rely on people loving you, they are more likely to abandon you. Personally, I respond better to politicians
4. Life outside society would be what, according to Hobbes? Do you think your neighbors would threaten your survival if they could get away with it?
He thought that life outside society would be solitary, poor, nasty, brutish, and short. I think that if their life depended on it, my neighbors would threaten me.
5. What fear influenced Hobbes' writings? Do any particular fears influence your political opinions?
The fear that England could descend into anarchy influenced his writings. I’m sure that I have some political fears that influence my political opinions.
6. Hobbes did not believe in the existence of what? Do you? Why or why not?
Hobbes did not believe in the existence of a soul. I do believe in it. I personally feel like we all have souls.
Emily Seeto Section #12
ReplyDelete1. What did Machiavelli say a leader needs to have? Do you agree? Is it important to you for our leaders to be reliably honest, with exceptions only for instances of national security and the nation's best interests?
- A leader needs to have virtue like manliness in valor. Prince has freewill
2. Machiavelli's philosophy is described as being "rooted" in what? Does your own experience confirm his appraisal of human nature and what's "realistic"?
- His philosophy is rooted in being as realist. This is the way everything has always been.
3. The idea that leaders should rule by fear is based on what view of human nature? Do you respond more positively to politicians who appeal to pessimism and fear, or to those who appeal to hope?
- Low view of human nature, humans are untrustworthy. Shouldn't expect please to make good decisions.
4. Life outside society would be what, according to Hobbes? Do you think your neighbors would threaten your survival if they could get away with it?
- Life outside of society would be short
5. What fear influenced Hobbes' writings? Do any particular fears influence your political opinions?
- Feared that england would go into anarchy or violent death for because of his opinions
6. Hobbes did not believe in the existence of what? Do you? Why or why not?
- Didn't believe in a soul or democracy. He believed in more tangible ideas
Kayla Pulling #7
ReplyDeleteHWT
1. They differ in where they focus their attention. Eastern philosophy focuses on right attitude and good government, while western focuses on the nature of the world. I fine eastern more appealing because it is a spiritual approach.
3. It is a type of suffering, more like the worst of the worst. It refers to the emotional and physical damage all humans go through.
4. Another name for the famous cherry blossoms in Japan.
5. Nature is one popular thing that takes place of religion in China. There are many people all over the world who have found religion substitutes.
6. Supernatural
7. He was an early interpreter of Daoism. He also had a very vivid dream of him being a butterfly, within this dream as a butterfly he was not himself in anyway.
8. It represent the technological advancements that are world is going through and continuing to go through.