Hobbes, Marx, Ortega y Gasset: State, Power, and Society
Classified in Philosophy and ethics
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Texts
According to Hobbes
Theme
The need for the state to establish order among humans.
Auxiliary Idea
End state.
Terms
- State: Characterized by the instrument that holds political power, it can be defined as an association of a complex type. Within a given territory, it successfully monopolizes legitimate violence as an instrument of domination.
- War: The result of the natural passions of men when there is no visible power to keep them in fear, and the threat of punishment to force them to comply with covenants and observe the laws of nature.
Do I need the state? Why? The state guarantees peace, order, and security.
According to Marx
Topic
Comparison of a capitalist state with a state of slavery.
Auxiliary Idea
The basis for the rule of seniority was slavery; the basis of the modern state is civil society.
Terms
- Private interest: The benefit obtained when we use others as means and not ends.
- The slave of wage labor: An individual who loses their freedom in exchange for a wage.
In what sense is the modern state similar to a state of slavery? It is still a form of slavery, driven by selfish needs.
According to Ortega y Gasset
Topic
Public power and its limits.
Auxiliary Idea
Public power corresponds to the collectivity of citizens.
Terms
- Public power: Institutions, operated by individuals whose aim is the control and direction of the political and social community.
- Democracy: The political system in which power resides in the people, who delegate some representatives to a parliament freely elected by universal suffrage.
- Liberalism: The political system centered on the idea that humans are free to choose their own preferences, which relies on a free-market economic system.
- Absolute power: The ability of a single individual to intervene at will in all political, economic, and social structures of a country.
Is the state necessary to prevent the tyranny of the masses? Yes, to set rules, but it may not exceed the rights of citizens and must have limitations.