Bertrand Russell reading (REVISED)

Starts be saying that the influence of Religion in modern society is religion. See's this chapter in history as 'Dogma vs Science.' Dogma being a specific doctraine of thought that is authorititively laid down, refering to the effect of religious beliefs.

It is stated that the renaissance ended in 1513, and what was leftg behind was a time when very few rules were legitimate. Brutus thought that religion should become a form of 'social cement', a means of bringing society back together during troubled times. It was seen at this time that people only believed in God when it suited them, and not everyone was as religious as first thought. It was thought that God is perfect and pure, it is the human race that is corrupt.

Descartes:

• Focused on 'form' and 'reason'
• Believed in natural slavery. Deemed it unfair to free a slave who is deemed to stay in captivity.
• Doubted everything, other than the fact he exsists. 'I think, therefore I am.'
• Seen as one of the founding fathers of modern philosophy as he disproved many of the theories of Aristotle.
• Wanted to base things on 'a rock beyond doubt.'

Hobbes:

• An empiricist, thus believed knowledge is gained through experience.
• First empiricist of his time who was open to mathematics.
• Believed man should live like Bee's, in the way bee's live in a social structure, where everyone has a duty and doesn't question it.
• Spoke about a 'state of nature,' in other words what the world was like before the formation of government.
• Believed that without a King, the world would be a vile place and people would eventually elect a leader.
• Believed that once a King penned an agreement to be a ruler, he was then free to do as he pleases. However, Hobbes still saw this as better than the 'state of nature' where there was a continuous war.
• Believed in a 'state of nature' that everyone would act out of self-interest.

John Locke:

• Valued experience over innate idea's.
• Disagreed with the 'divine right of Kings,' which suggested that Kings are descendants of Adam and had a direct contract with God.
• Believed that in a 'state of nature' people would still have the capacity to distinguish right from wrong
• Felt that if King's broke the 'natural law', that the people have the right to a revolution.
• Thought that experience in combination with reason is what produces idea's.

Galileo:

• Built a telescope, and made the following observations:

1. Saw a moon with mountains, and craters. Went against all school of thought before where it was deemed that the moon was perfectly smooth.
2. Saw that the Earth is infact not the centre of the Universe.

The Renaissance

The renaissance started in the 15th century, in Italy which was at the time a country in a state of continuous conflict. Books by Plato, and Aristotle were introduced to literature, which led to new, groundbreaking ideas.

Alot of what the 'renaissance men' actually said was in great contradiction to the bible, but because what they said was so groundbreaking, the pope labelled them as catholics.

These 'renaissance men' as I referred to earlier, are as follows:

• Pythagorus - known for his mathmatical theory.
• Plato - believed in the 'devine.' A place beyond this world, a perfect world.
• Artistotle - student of Plato, and tutor of Alexander the great. Believed in observation to understand.
• Epicurus - believed in pleasure.
• Diogenes - against convention and believed people should love as simple as possible, with as little responsibilities as possible.
• Heraclitus - believed that in order to change, you must first have a violent act.

Plato believed that a belieft in God, and good and bad is a contradictory belief. He felt that if our lives are based on God's will, then evil and good are seperate for him and we should be allowed to judge whether God is good for bad.

HCJ Notes

Libery = freedom

John Wilkes

• Advocate of civil liberty.
• Mayor of London and MP.
• Forced into excile numorous times.
• Critic of the powerful - loved by the lower class.
• Attacked the government in paper 'the North Briton.'
• King + government tried everything to get rid of Wilkes, including paying him off, lawsuits, and assasinations.
• Called the king a liar, and was arrested.
• Re-elected to parliament from prison, but the house voted him incapable.
• Eleced mayor of London soon after.

Mary Wollstonecraft

• Difficult upbringing - drunken and violent father.
• Became obsessed with education - first publication: 'Thoughts on the education of daughters'
• Argued education of women was superficial. Did not equip women with independence of thought and judegment.
• Similiar belief to Locke - born with blank slate which is moulded by education. Education correctly creates rational, responsible citizens.
• Set up a school in Stoke Newington.
• Fascinated by Rousseau.
• Went against Edmund Burke who stated 'society is built on tradition, to rip it all up and start again is a recipe for disaster.'
• Responded to this by writing 'Vindication of the rights of men.' In this she claimed that education reinforces gender roles and that women should take control of their own destiny.
• Believed women + men should just all be seen as humans.
• Very unpopular until end of the 19th century.

Liberty

• Began as an attempt to limit powers of government and give authority to individuals.
• Prize freedom over equality.
• Believe there should be a seperation from church and state (promote secularisation).

J. S. Mills

• Thrown in jail at 17 for distributing literature on contraception.
• Introduced first bill to allow women the right to a vote.
• By 16 was probably the most educated person in Europe.
• Believed freedom of speech is absolute, and that an opinion should never be silenced no matter how much you disagree.
• Felt the majority can be wrong.
• Quoted as saying "one persons taste is his own particular concern."
• And "genius can only breathe freely in atmosphere of freedom."
• Society should not interfere with peoples "choices of pleasure" as long as no one else is harmed.
• Thought all children should be educated, and nobody has the right to keep another from an education.

Utilitarianism

• Bentham believed you should try and produce happinnes.
• Mills believed if women were inferior, then why should the need to make laws to keep women in subjection? If women are incapable, why forbid them?
• Three ways to overlook consequence:

1. Act
2. Moral Rules
3. Disposition