Alden Reuben B.

Luna Modern Philosophy Thomas Hobbes

Human Nature
Man is essentially selfish.

Aim of Modern Project

This marks the Political Sweep of the Modern Project. Anchored upon the Cartesian project, Hobbes regards nature as translatable into mathematical-physical formulae, making it easier to be manipulated. This makes mans acquisition of the good, through power, (i.e. what benefits the individual man) a lot easier; hence making life as comfortable as possible. His primary aim however, is to control this natural inclination of possessing every good by imposing an absolute traffic officer the STATE. Hence, although not concomitant to mans nature, it is a necessary evil the Leviathan.

John Locke

Man is naturally happy, characterized by reason and tolerance.

Another Political Sweep of the Modern Project, it likewise puts emphasis upon the importance of government/state. For him, government, which is not essentially part of the state of nature, rests on popular consent and whose sole purpose is to uphold mans life, liberty and property or mans inalienable rights. This gives justification to rebellion.

Baruch de Spinoza

Man is not a substance but only a part of the substance, i.e. God.

His works centers on religion. The Modern Project has gone as far as this sphere as Spinoza himself tried to simplify even the mysteries of religion in order to achieve cosmic harmony. This is through posing that God is the only substance, since a substance is that which subsists by itself. Hence, man is merely a part of this single substance, eventually leading to a seemingly deterministic morality and a simplified way of achieving cosmic order. Even God has been reduced into a mechanical idea.

Blaise Pascal

Man is a thinking reed is himself a paradox.

Like Spinoza, this is also a religious sweep of Modern Project. But unlike the former, Pascal does not disregard mysteries in