George Berkeley’s “Passive Obedience”: A Concise Exposition (original) (raw)
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A central problem of political philosophy is that of explaining how a state could have the moral authority to enforce laws, promulgate laws which citizens are thereby obliged to obey, give new duties to citizens and levy taxes. Many rival solutions to this problem of political authority have been offered by contemporary and recent philosophers but none has obtained wide acceptance. The current debate takes no cognisance of George Berkeley’s “Passive Obedience,” in which he defends the exceptionless duty of not using force to resist the state and offers a rule-consequentialist account of morality which gives an explanation of political authority as grounded in the social connectedness of human beings. I expound, criticise and develop Berkeley’s explanation to provide a promising solution to the problem of political authority. The solution impugns the political authority of all existing states as well as an exceptionless duty of passive obedience.
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The social and political writings of George Berkeley play an important role in his philosophy. However, this part of Berkeley’s thought has been little studied, and this is strange not only because his social and political ideas are interesting, but rather because they are very importante to understand Berkeley’s philosophy. The reason for this is because both his social and political concerns, and his epistemological approaches point toward the same goal, namely, his apologetic and humanist project, which are the bases of his thought. Berkeley’s philosophy is not purely theoretical. On the contrary, it has a practical component because it is the result of particular conditions, since it responds to a specific context both philosophical, historical and socio-political. This can be clearly seen in Berkeley revisited: moral, social and political philosophy.
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Berkeley “argues with the learned and speaks with the vulgar.” I use his double maxim to interpret his ethics. My approach is new. The Sermons and Guardian Essays mainly speak to the vulgar and Passive Obedience and Alciphron reason with the learned. The reward of ethics is eternal bliss in a future state: religion and ethics are connected. I study a set of problems: resurrection, eternal life, happiness, benevolence, the goodness of God, and self-love. Divine bliss is unlike any earthly happiness. The idea of law does not support benevolence, even if it is a Christian duty and virtue. God is good, but how to prove it? The learned must study the complex theodicy problem; the vulgar need assurance based on their sensuous experience and fervent hope of eternal bliss. Self-love may be a vital issue to the learned, although the vulgar may not realize their need to overcome it. The main questions concern Berkeley’s two approaches to ethical problems: first, how do their topics differ, an...
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