Christos Vlastaris
How important are ideas on human nature for theories of government? Discuss
using at least two examples from this module?
Since the development of its concept by the ancient Greek philosophers, human nature
constitutes the basis for political thinking. Plato thought of humans as capable of overcoming
passions and making rational decisions. He divided the human soul into three parts that when
not in harmony result in mental conflict. Aristotle used the concept as an indicator of inclusion
and exclusion in political life labelling certain foreigners as natural slaves, while the Romans
formulated the jus naturale, a philosophical legal and moralistic system based on human
nature. 1 Christian thought also entails basic premises regarding human nature in the
framework of the original sin, free will and human beings created in the image of God. In the
early modern world, human nature continued to play a central role in political thinking as it
is evident in the Humanistic perspective of the Renaissance which had the human experience
at its core whereas political thinkers like Machiavelli aimed to produce systematic
observations regarding human nature and its consideration in policy making; 2 and in the
prominence of human nature in the political theories of subsequent thinkers like Hobbes,
Locke, Rousseau, Montesquieu and Hume. This essay aims to demonstrate the centrality of
human nature in political thought and in considerations about theories of government by
focusing on the social contract theorists -Hobbes, Locke and Rousseau- as well as Hume as a
critic of the contract theory. Regardless of their extraordinary differences, Hobbes and Locke
are discussed together in a comparative form since the emanation of their theory from human
1 Harold Chapman Brown, ‘Human Nature and the State’, International Journal of Ethics, 26.2 (1916), 177-192 (p. 177). 2 Hayward R. Alker Jr, ‘The Humanistic Moment in International Studies: Reflections on Machiavelli and Las Casas: 1992 Presidential Address’, International Studies Quarterly, 36.4 (1992), 347-371 (p. 356).
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