State Of Nature Of 1500 - 1900 Century Philosphers

First, Thomas Hobbes identified that humans were in continual war with "every man, against every man". A time of "no arts; no letters; no society; and which is worst of all, continual fear and danger of violent death; and the life of man, solitary, poor, nasty, brutish, and short".1 Because man’s natural state is so debased, Hobbes

Thirteenth, Sigmund Freud was the founder of psychoanalysis, the study of unconscious mental processes. Freudian theory has had a major impact on society, influencing fields as diverse as anthropology, education, art and literary criticism. Freud’s “free association” allows emotionally charged ideas that the individual had repressed in the unconscious to emerge to conscious thought. He believed there is an endless struggle between the individual and society, which is the basic nature of the human condition. Today's recognition of the psychoanalysis movement made possible a worldwide organization called the International Psychoanalysis Association. Established therapeutic procedures, which are a modified form of psychoanalysis, are applied widely in the present-day treatment of neuroses and psychoses.

Second, Rene Descartes was called the father of modern philosophy and he is remembered for connecting scholasticism and philosophy. He believed that mind and body are distinct substances, believing that this dualism made possible human freedom and immortality. Descartes was disappointed with traditional philosophers and with limitation of theology. His views about knowledge and certainty, as well as views about relationship between mind and body have lasted throughout centuries. He stated that God must exist and his beliefs were based on ordinary sense experience. Descartes methodology was a major influence in the transition from medieval science and philosophy to the modern era. He is the first philosopher in the modern era to make serious effort to defeat skepticism. He was convinced that the discovery of the proper method was the key to scientific advancement. Descartes is also credited as being the founder of geometry and Cartesian coordinates. Cartesian coordinate system is used for graphing equations and geometric shapes. Modern maps use the grid system that can be traced back to Descartes. Again, he believed that only one thing could not be doubted, and that was doubt it self. This is the root of his famous quote " I think, therefore I am".2

applied a authoritarian view of social contract. He deemed that a social contract was required to keep peace and order. He was the first modern theorist to agree for absolute power of government. In an effort to resolve this, he argued that humans would agreed to cooperate for survival, by agreeing to surrender some freedom in return for stability. He wanted to create a social contract with a large group that would abide the laws of government. Thus, Hobbes believed that the government should take the form of monarchy, not a democracy. This form of government still exists in countries today. The theoretical construct was based in absolute materialism. Hobbes thought matter was all that existed. Men were just a part of conflict in nature. For Hobbes the whole world, including politics, was mechanical. Hobbes also contributed to modern psychology and laid the foundations of modern sociology by applying these mechanistic principles in an effort to explain human motivations and social organization. In society today, we still see people with the basic philosophy of man against man. His belief that fear of violent death was the principal motive that causes people to create a state by contracting to surrender their natural rights and submit to the absolute authority of a sovereign. He believed that in challenging the doctrine of the divine right of the sovereign power is absolute. This philosophy is highly applicable in the post “September 11th” world.

Tenth, Frank Kafka wrote disturbing, ironic, and expressionistic short stories and novels that dealt with alienated protagonists caught up in complicated situations beyond their understanding and control. Kafka hid his own beliefs behind his fictional writings; describing his ideas on problems and issues that our society and culture face today. He was an existentialist who wrote themes of

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