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Key Thinkers - Coggle Diagram
Key Thinkers
Thomas Hobbes (1588-1679
In his book "Leviathan" - 1651 he outlined an ordered society and human nature as needy or easily led astray
Ordered Society - in a state of nature humans are free from authority and a "restless desire for power" leads to war. Rational people should sacrifice freedoms and rights for security and government is established from consent
Human Nature - humans demonstrate needy and vulnerable characteristics by competing violently for material gain, fighting out of fear and seeking reputation
"How could a state be protected in it's foreign relations if every individual remained free to obey or not the law according to his opinion
Edmund Burke (1729-97)
Following the French Revolution in 1789 he developed "change to conserve" and respect for tradition and empiricism
Cautious change - the state and society is organic, needs pruning to preserve order and stability, reform should be based off tradition not abstract principles and revolutionary change cuts off the roots of organic society
Tradition and empiricism - represent the tried and tested nature of customs and practices, promotes stability and provides reference points for change, encouraging social cohesion as humans are security dependent
"It is with infinite caution that any man ought to venture upon pulling down an edifice which has answered for the ages"
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Ayn Rand (1905-1982)
Rand's novels advocated Objectivism and Freedom, useful when discussing human nature and the economy
Objectivism - rational self interest is a virtue, it's morally right and not selfish
Freedom - support for completely unregulated Laissez Faire capitalism compatible with free expression of human rationality
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