The state of nature and social contracts | Religious education

Starter quiz

What do we call academics and thinkers who study ultimate questions about existence, knowledge, ethics and reality, using logic to explore these topics?
- teachers
- researchers
- philosophers ✓
- mathematicians
Which of the below was an English philosopher (1588–1679) known for his political philosophy?
- Socrates
- R M Hare
- Hobbes ✓
- Plato
What is the name of the book written by Thomas Hobbes that argues for a strong authority to maintain order in society?
- 'Behemothic'
- ‘Leviathan’ ✓
- 'Colossus'
Which war did Thomas Hobbes live through?
- The English Civil War ✓
- The Second World War
- The French Revolution
What do historians call the eighteenth-century movement which developed ideas that challenged the authority of monarchs and the Church?
- The Age of Discovery
- The Enlightenment ✓
- The Reformation
- The Renaissance

Match the keywords below to the correct definitions.
- authority
  
  ⇔
  
  the power to give orders, make decisions and enforce obedience ✓
- freedom
  
  ⇔
  
  the natural liberty to act as one wishes ✓
- sovereign
  
  ⇔
  
  a supreme ruler ✓
- the state of nature
  
  ⇔
  
  a concept that imagines life without society or government ✓
- thought experiment
  
  ⇔
  
  a philosophical tool to test ideas in hypothetical situations ✓
When Hobbes wrote, 'Imagine men without civil society', what was he asking us to imagine?
- a world where there was no philosophy or deep thinking
- a world where there was no religion or ethics
- a world where there were no governments or laws ✓
What did Hobbes think would happen if people lived in a state of nature?
- there would be conflict and chaos ✓
- there would be peace and harmony
- things would not be any different to how they are now
Which of the following is true of what Hobbes believed?
- that freedom is bad
- that unlimited freedom leads to chaos ✓
- that all humans should be free to act according to their natures
What is the name of Hobbes' theory which refers to an arrangement between two or more people or groups, where each promises to do something for the other?
- a social contract ✓
- the state of nature
- a thought experiment
Who did Hobbes believe should have absolute authority?
- the Church
- God
- humans
- sovereigns ✓

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Hobbes explains the state of nature and the social contract in his work 'Leviathan'.
The state of nature according to Hobbes is everybody living for themselves.
He believed that when people have unlimited freedom, it leads to chaos and a war-like scenario.
Hobbes argues that social contracts limit our freedom but provide benefits such as security.
Social contracts need to be enacted by a sovereign or ruler and work to bring the state of nature to an end.

Hobbes believed freedom is bad.

Hobbes did not oppose all freedom, but argued that unlimited freedom in the state of nature leads to chaos.

Authority - the power to give orders, make decisions and enforce obedience
Freedom - the natural liberty to act as one wishes
Sovereign - a supreme ruler
The state of nature - a concept that imagines life without society or government, with different philosophers seeing it as either peaceful or chaotic
Thought experiment - a philosophical tool to test ideas in hypothetical contexts, not real-world scenarios