Human Nature

• Locke:

  -Rationalism

  -Tabula rasa- humans are a blank slate

  -Knowledge comes through experience

  -Empiricism

  -No rational person would willingly submit to arbitrary rule

  -Utilitarianism
• Wollstonecraft:

  -Rationalism

  -Women are as rational as men, and thus should have equal rights

  -Education plays a large role in shaping the individual, therefore boys and girls should have access to equal education, focusing on critical thinking and moral development

  -Self-improvement of the individual
• Stuart Mill:

  -Rationalism

  -Utilitarianism: actions are right so long as they promote happiness and wrong if they hinder happiness (taken further than Locke: Harm principle)

  -Society encouraging diversity of opinions and self-expression contributes to human progress and intellectual enrichment

  -The individual can strive for improvement and correct errors by learning from experience

  -Women are as rational as men, and thus should have equal rights
• Rawls:

  -Rationalism

  -Self-interest

  -Justice as fairness over utilitarianism: justice protecting basic rights ensures that everyone has a fair chance to pursue their life plans and goals

  -Women are as rational as men, and thus should have equal rights
• Friedan:

  -Rationalism

  -Women are as rational as men, and thus should have equal rights