power

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Kant elucidate the meaning of human good by talking about three qualities: power, pleasure and dignity. By reading each of the philosopher’s text individually, the reader is able to recognize which quality is most imperative to each philosopher. Additionally, each philosopher illuminates the importance of that certain good and provides a feasible reason for their choosing by presenting general ideas that enables the reader to gain a meticulous understanding of their subjective meaning of each good and its importance.
First and foremost is Hobbs. He makes it obvious that the paramount good is power by labeling power as a man’s natural condition. Man, overall, is a social animal that has a global goal in life, that is to obtain power. Man has an innate drive to grasp everything desired and willing to go great length to obtain that intrinsic source of power. The reason for man engaging in this continuous mission for power is because Hobbs believes that “natural power is the eminence of the faculties of body, or mind; as extraordinary strength, form, prudence, arts, eloquence, liberality, nobility…Also, riches joined with liberality is power” (Hobbs,1)
Hobbs emphasizes the significance of power and all it has to offer. Man continues to want and obtain something as a quality of desire and pleasure. Consequently, man fails to consider how this obsession can produce a detrimental outcome that occurs when we engage in competing with others for intrinsic desires. Friendships are broken, trust is no longer imperative, love cease to exist; but, our instinctive and impious actions are excused because it’s all part of man’s natural order. In this natural condition man is identified in accordance to the possessions obtained, which builds p...

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...dditionally, this ties to the importance of power and pleasure because one must treat people in a way that polishes ones dignity by treating others as a human being with value. Also, power is brought by achieving duties as man, in which one presents themselves as a man with power and morals.
In closing, Hobbs, Mill and Kant all have different sentiments that focus on what they subjectively believe which good composes significance. Hobbs makes an approach to the primitive importance of power, Mill focuses on the importance of pleasure physically and mentally, and Kant emphasizes his importance on dignity. With these three human goods they all make up for the other goods. Dignity must be created to fulfill pleasure and power, power is mandatory of dignity and pleasure and pleasure needs dignity and power. The absence of one good causes the other goods not to exist.

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