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All the ideas for 'That Politics may be reduced to a Science', 'Lectures on the Philosophy of (World) History' and 'works'

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7 ideas

1. Philosophy / D. Nature of Philosophy / 5. Aims of Philosophy / e. Philosophy as reason

21753	If we look at the world rationally, the world assumes a rational aspect [Hegel]
	Full Idea: Whoever looks at the world rationally will find that it in turn assumes a rational aspect; the two exist in a reciprocal relationship.
	From: Georg W.F.Hegel (Lectures on the Philosophy of (World) History [1837], p.29), quoted by Stephen Houlgate - An Introduction to Hegel 01
	A reaction: What happens when I look at irrationality rationally?

2. Reason / A. Nature of Reason / 1. On Reason

21974	The world seems rational to those who look at it rationally [Hegel]
	Full Idea: To him who looks at the world rationally, the world looks rationally back; the two exist in reciprocal relationship.
	From: Georg W.F.Hegel (Lectures on the Philosophy of (World) History [1837], Intro p.29), quoted by A.W. Moore - The Evolution of Modern Metaphysics 07.4
	A reaction: This is a nice variation on the stoic idea that nature is essentially rational. If we are capable of rationality, then nature has made us that way. Romantics seem to prefer looking at nature less rationally, so what do they see in nature?

6. Mathematics / B. Foundations for Mathematics / 4. Axioms for Number / a. Axioms for numbers

3338	Numbers have been defined in terms of 'successors' to the concept of 'zero' [Peano, by Blackburn]
	Full Idea: Dedekind and Peano define the number series as the series of successors to the number zero, according to five postulates.
	From: report of Giuseppe Peano (works [1890]) by Simon Blackburn - Oxford Dictionary of Philosophy p.279

6. Mathematics / B. Foundations for Mathematics / 4. Axioms for Number / d. Peano arithmetic

5897	0 is a non-successor number, all successors are numbers, successors can't duplicate, if P(n) and P(n+1) then P(all-n) [Peano, by Flew]
	Full Idea: 1) 0 is a number; 2) The successor of any number is a number; 3) No two numbers have the same successor; 4) 0 is not the successor of any number; 5) If P is true of 0, and if P is true of any number n and of its successor, P is true of every number.
	From: report of Giuseppe Peano (works [1890]) by Antony Flew - Pan Dictionary of Philosophy 'Peano'
	A reaction: Devised by Dedekind and proposed by Peano, these postulates were intended to avoid references to intuition in specifying the natural numbers. I wonder if they could define 'successor' without reference to 'number'.

23. Ethics / C. Virtue Theory / 4. External Goods / d. Friendship

21093	Friendship without community spirit misses out on the main part of virtue [Hume]
	Full Idea: A man who is only susceptible of friendship, without public spirit or a regard to the community, is deficient in the most material part of virtue.
	From: David Hume (That Politics may be reduced to a Science [1750], p.21)
	A reaction: I think this is aimed at the epicureans. If the highest virtues are focused on one's friends that can easily lead to injustice, because it can tolerate prejudice against people who are very unlike one's friends.

24. Political Theory / B. Nature of a State / 3. Constitutions

21091	It would be absurd if even a free constitution did not impose restraints, for the public good [Hume]
	Full Idea: A republican and free form of government would be an obvious absurdity, if the particular checks and controls, provided by the constitution, had really no influence, and made it not the interest, even of bad men, to act for the public good.
	From: David Hume (That Politics may be reduced to a Science [1750], p.14)
	A reaction: Presumably if you attain absolute power you can write any old constitution you like (Clause 1: the presidency is for life). But there does seem much point in doing it - unless it is to facilitate the use of the law for persecutions.

24. Political Theory / C. Ruling a State / 2. Leaders / d. Elites

21092	Nobility either share in the power of the whole, or they compose the power of the whole [Hume]
	Full Idea: A nobility may possess power in two different ways. Either every nobleman shares the power as part of the whole body, or the whole body enjoys the power as composed of parts, which each have a distinct power and authority.
	From: David Hume (That Politics may be reduced to a Science [1750], p.15)
	A reaction: He says the first type is found in Venice, and is preferable to the second type, which is found in Poland. Presumably in the shared version there is some restraint on depraved nobles. The danger is each noble being an autocrat.