Authority

Questions

1. Are there any parallels between the justification for school rules and the laws of a country?
   1. Not ok to break laws:
      1. Laws are meant to maintain safety. If break, we endanger self and/or others
   2. Ok to break laws:
      1. Laws restrict your exercise of freedom (e.g. right to free speech)
2. What justifies governmental authority?
3. What are the limits of governmental authority? When is it justified (if ever) to disobey the law?

Thought Experiment

Question

One day, a magical quantum spacetime warp occurs on Earth, teleporting 100 random/adult humans - 50 males and 50 females - to a deserted island in a galaxy far way.

On the island, there is everything the humans need to survive - food, water, materials for building shelter and making weapons to fend off the roving beasts that live on that island - but in barely adequate quantities. Moreover, the best resources are scarce and far between.

Given time and the correct developments, it is theoretically possible for the humans to redevelop modern technology with the resources on the island.

What do you think would happen in six months’ time?

What do you think would happen in ten years’ time?

State of Nature

• The state of nature is a hypothetical scenario where humans live together in the absence of a government.
• Human nature is the fundamental set of psychological and behavioural characteristics that humans have, prior to moulding by the environment.

State of Nature is bad

• Why govt: Stop ppl from dying, to control society
• What govt: Monarchy
  • If the govt consists of a group of people, then the power to enforce the law will be divided
  • The imperfection of 1 person is less than the imperfection of multiple people
  • Impossible for a monarch to be divided against itself
  • Richness of the ruler is defined by the prosperity of the country, hence the ruler has the people in heart

State of Nature is ok

• Why govt: To properly be able to punish people
• What govt: Representative Democracy
  • If no judiciary, there will be difficulties in delivering punishment
  • Represents people
  • Leaders cannot abuse their power