July 30 - August 1
Hello! How are you doing? I hope you are having a good summer vacation now.
This week, I leared John Locke and Rousseau in the classes. Let me show you what I studied about them.
First of all, I'm going to describe "the Labor Theory of Value" Locke proposed. It's the theory accounting that only mixing human labor with natural things has the value. In other words, he says that world is mostly valueless without expense of human labor. He also remakes "the State of Nature." We learn "the State of Nature" and how each pilosopher defines it. For paper, we are going to write about the difference between Hobbes and Locke comparing their definitions of the term. So, Locke says that the State of Nature is a state of perfect freedom and equality. And no one is allowed to harm another health, liberty, or possessions. There is no relation between superior and inferior. Man has to preserve himself there. He concludes that "men living together according to reason without natural authority on earth, without government that will judge between rights claims" is proper the State of Nature.
On Wednesday, we had a lecture on Rousseau’s “Discourse on the Origin and Foundations of Inequality among men.” In this book, he seeks for what is the origin of inequality among men. He accounts that there are two kinds of inequality. One is natural or physical inequality. Another is called moral or political equality. He believes that there is no inequality in his State of Nature. Then, how and when it emerged? He shows that inequality appeared because of civilization. The word "civilization" itself is appeared to be good, but it involves bad aspects. In this sense, Rousseau says that inequality emerged when people started to have their own properties.
*I went to the Pike Place Market and took pictures there. This is one of the famous sightseeing spots in Seattle. You can get information at http://www.pikeplacemarket.org/frameset.asp?flash=true
