Human Nature
People's understanding of the world is shaped by what they think is true, even if it's untrue. They will choose not to know something over knowing it because it scares them.
Plato, Allegory of the Cave
People have natural rights. If a government doesn't protect these rights, the people have a right to rebel
Locke
A king is the only one who can provide order. With a king, people will be able to be righteous, happy, and will help each other
The Danger of Anarchy
If a man has caused the loss of a gentleman's eye, they shall cause him to lose one eye
The Code of Hammurabi
Heaven decides as the people decide
Mandate of Heaven
People's behavior needs to be controlled through clear laws and punishments.
Hammurabi's Code
Everyone has a right to education. Without education, people will not have the "gift of reason," and will not be able to uphold society's morals
Wollstencraft
Rulers must deceive their people into thinking they are moral, religious, and merciful, even if they act differently
Machiavelli
A government of our own is our natural right… Ye that love mankind! Ye that dare oppose not only the tyranny but the tyrant, stand forth!
Paine, Common Sense
Kings... were living humans, but they also embodied the eternal office of kingship itself
Pharaohs
Without an overarching, uniting power, humans will live in a constant state of war, where everyone is fighting solely for themself
Hobbes
If a government is tyrannical, the people have a right to rebel against it. If the rebellion suceeds, it's because the people were right to rebel
Mandate of Heaven
The King is God's representative on Earth. His power is absolute
Louis the 14th
There can be no breach of covenant on the part of the sovereign; and consequently none of his subjects, by any pretence or forfeiture, can be freed from his subjugation
Hobbes
Should he ever do anything contrary to the rules of the Great Peace, he may not be deposed from office–no one shall cut him down–but thereafter everyone shall be deaf to his voice and his advice
The Iroquois Constitution
Without a king and his protection, people will always be unhappy and scared
The Danger of Anarchy
The government should serve the people. When the government ignores its people, they have a natural right to form their own government, separate from their previous one.
Paine, Common Sense
The ruler is the head of society, both religious and secular (non-religious) aspects. The ruler's power comes from their divine status and their ability to uphold the state and universal balance
Pharaohs
Men should bend before those that are powerful… men desirous of prosperity should crown some person as their king
The Dangers of Anarchy
The sovereign represents the state; he and his people form one single body, which can only be happy in so far as it's harmoniously united
Frederick the Great
People only treat people with superiority when they expect something in return from them. Rulers are NOT superior to their subjects because of God, but because they can provide protection and justice for their people
Frederick the Great
Everyone has a right to a say in their government and laws. If someone does not agree with the rest, there needs to be more discussion
The Iroquois Confederacy
People form societies in order to survive. Everyone in the group needs to cooperate and help the others, because they would die without them
Mbuti
For truth must be common to all, or it will be inefficacious [ineffective] with respect to its influence on general practice
Wollstonecraft
He would far sooner be on earth as a hired servant in the house of the landless man or endure anything rather than go back to his old beliefs and live in the old way
Plato, Allegory of the Cave