Kant, Rawls, Plato, Aristotle, Hobbes: Philosophy Insights

Kant's Concept of Duty and Free Will

According to Kant, our choices are free only if they are determined by duty. The human will is autonomous when it acts according to its own dictates, irrespective of other considerations. These actions are undertaken out of a sense of duty.

Rawls's Theory of the Original Position

Rawls's concept of the original position imagines a group of individuals behind a "veil of ignorance." They are unaware of their gender, wealth, race, religion, or any other characteristic that could lead to biased interests. This total ignorance defines the original position.

Justice According to Plato and Rawls

Plato views justice as the state where each part of the soul fulfills its specific virtues. The rational part of the soul should guide the irrational aspects. For Rawls, discrepancies arise when it becomes clear what justice means.

Aristotle's View on the Purpose of the State

According to Aristotle, the objective of the state is to achieve the common good and general happiness for its citizens. This ideal is shared by other thinkers, including Aristotle himself.

Aristotle's Correct and Incorrect Regimes

Aristotle defines "correct" forms of government as those that govern for the benefit of all citizens:

• Monarchy: Rule by a single individual for the community's benefit.
• Aristocracy: Rule by a minority, ideally the best individuals, for the common good.
• Republic: Rule by the majority for the collective benefit.

"Incorrect" forms of government are those that defend the private interests of an individual or group:

• Tyranny: when one individual governs on its own behalf or a group.
• Oligarchy: when the rich govern for their own benefit.
• Democracy: when the poor rule.

Hobbes's View of the State of Nature

For Hobbes, the state of nature is a "war of all against all." The only escape is through a social contract where individuals surrender their natural rights.

Hobbes's Social Contract

According to Hobbes, the social contract involves each individual agreeing to surrender their natural rights to an individual or assembly, provided that all others do the same.

The Purpose of the State According to Hobbes

Hobbes believed the state's primary purpose is to maintain security, particularly against external enemies.