Sociability and Self-Interest: A Philosophical Perspective

Sociability and self-interest

It’s a position of sociability defended by Thomas Hobbes or Sigmund Freud. Human beings are not social beings by nature, but we live in society for pure self-interest. Our way of being does not lead us to live in society to fulfill ourselves as human beings, but to guarantee our survival.

Therefore, the human being is not predisposed to mingle and cooperate with others; on the contrary, the human being is a selfish being who perceives others as possible rivals in the satisfaction of their desires although because of the difficulties, they look for help in others.

Sociability and nature:

It’s a position of sociability defended by Aristotle or Erich Fromm. The human being is incomplete by nature and, therefore, we are in need of others. Life in society is the state in which the human being can fulfill themselves by developing all their abilities. Thus, living in community is an essential necessity of the human being, not a limitation to their impulses, but a way of living that makes possible, precisely, their development.

The Constitution:

Is the most important law that regulates and structures the running of a State based on the rule of law. It is a document that establishes the general rules, institutions, and procedures for the exercise of power, as well as the relationship that these institutions must have with the individuals and their rights. The Constitution is a text that includes the fundamental principles on which the State is based, as well as the fundamental rights and freedoms, both individual and collective, that must be protected. The first Constitutions were created in the American and the French Revolutions.

The separation of powers

Is another mechanism that guarantees the existence of a fair State. Montesquieu introduced the idea that, to avoid abuses, power itself should limit its own power. In order to achieve this goal, the three types of power that the State possesses (legislative, executive, and judicial) must be split into separate and independent institutions.

Absolutist State

Is an authoritarian state characteristic of the Modern Ages. In all these monarchies, the power of the sovereign is practically unlimited and it is not subjected to restrictions of any kind. Those who hold power are not chosen by the citizens, nor do the citizens have a way of legally opposing the orders of the ruler.