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Divine Right Theoryo oldest theory on the origin of a state

o the state was created by God and the

rulers were ordained and given

authority by God to govern the people

o to oppose the divine rule is an act ofheresy

o The King does no wrong.

o The king was subject to the judgementby God alone but not by his subjects or

the people. (passive obedience)

o

unlawful exercise turns to tyranny

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Divine Right Theoryo opposed by the church/popes since

they believe they are the rightful

representatives of God

o the people then questioned the kings

authority saying he does not have theright to act irresponsibly and his duty is

bound to respect the law of the land

o able to enforce unity and disciplineamong the citizens

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Social Contract Theoryo the state was formed thru an

agreement (social contract) among men

who lived in the state of nature

o state of nature men lived together w/o

anyone to enforce peace and order andsettle conflicts

o was made known by 3 political

philosophers:

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Thomas Hobbeso his theory was influenced by the civil wars

in Englando state of nature is despicable, nasty and

brutish hence man must submit their

natural right to a great Leviathan who will

bring peace, order and security.

o The Leviathan holds absolute power and

the people has no right to revolt or go

against himo Men are so naturally mean and aggressive

that only the strongest power in a state

can hold and check mens violent

impulses.

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Thomas Hobbeso not really a social contract since no

agreement between the ruler and the ruledo the ruler has no obligation towards his

subjects at the same time they cannot limit

the exercise of power of the ruler.

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John Locke

o men are rational beings and can make

use of the law of nature for their owngood

o in this social contract, voluntary

consent is given to create the statewhose purpose is to promote and

preserve the rights to life, liberty and

property of the people

o this theory that man themselves gave

up the state of nature to form a civil

society

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John Locke

o when the government does not serve

its purpose anymore it can be removedor overthrown

o man should retain natural and the

authority to rule (sovereign power)should be given to the monarch but to

the peoples representative.

o man is not impartial to the

shortcomings of friends

o human frailty could lead to the abuse

of power

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Jean Jacques Rousseau

o a social community (true state) that

possesses the general will is therightful substitute of anarchy in a state

of nature

o whoever refuses to obey will becompelled to do so by the whole body

o a direct democracy is the only free

government

o the government is a mere agency with

delegated powers and can be

withdrawn or abolished anytime

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Force Theoryo the state came into existence out of

conquest, force or coercion

o the strong conquerors consolidated or

merged their territories

o Only force rules. Force is the firstlaw.

o Might makes right doctrine

o a government needs power to enforcethe law so as to have security and

stability

o

agreed to by Machiavelli and Hobbes

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Force Theoryoonce the person who holds power loses

it, he can be overthrown by the people

through a revolution

o it paves the way for superiority in the

international communityo "Power tends to corrupt, and absolute

power corrupts absolutely. Great men

are almost always bad men."

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Natural Theoryo the state is a natural institution that

unified its citizens

o man needs the state for a man living

without the state is either a god or a

beast.o the state is a living organism that

grows

o it is but natural for man in a state tojoin the activities because through it he

grows and gets his needs

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Patriarchal Theoryo the state is a product of evolution

which evolved from the smallest unit of

society the family

o prototype of this theory is the barangay

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Instinctive Theoryo the state was created because it is the

natural inclination of man to be

politically associated with others

o association is for self-preservation and

securityo the state is good because it does not

only develop man as a rational being

and enhance his political involvementbut also maximizes the peoples

participation in politics

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Economic Theoryo the state is a product of mans

economic wants

o an isolated man cannot produce

everything he needs, therefore he needs

another to provide those needso achieved through the exchange of

goods and services

o societies are formed because of theneeds of man that can only be satisfied

through cooperation

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A state cannot exist without a government

but a government can exist without a

state.

A state possesses permanence while

government may change without affecting

the state.

A state is the ideal entity of political unity

while the government is the instrument of

this entity.

State, Government and Nation

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A state is a juristic or political concept

while a nation is a racial or ethnical

concept.

A nation can exist without a state but if astate exist there is at least one nation

A state may be made up of more than one

nation. A state must have a government and

territory but a nation does not need those

to exist.

State, Government and Nation