How Should We Rule....or I?

6 Pages 1525 Words

How Should We Rule…Us or I

All across Europe, from Ancient Greece to 17th Century England, different ideals and theories of government have been tried. Each system has their unique benefits and possible downfalls. Some give power to the people while others believe the people are incapable of making decisions about their welfare. Some may not seem fair while other may seem to give to much power to the people. These are all arguments that the philosophers Machiavelli, Ireton, Bossuet and Pericles would make about each other’s different ideals and understanding of their fellow man.
Jacques-Benigne Bossuet was a true supporter of “Divine Right,” or that monarchs derive their right to rule from God and are accountable only to God (The American Heritage Dictionary of English Language). In the excerpts from his “Politics Drawn from the Very Words of Holy Scripture,” Bossuet attempts to defend divine right and relate it directly into to the Bible. The main points Bossuet uses to defend divine right are “First, royal authority is scared; secondly, it is paternal; thirdly, it is absolute; fourthly, it is subject to reason…”(Bossuet,137) However the excerpt that the course reader provides only explains the first two points or Divine Right. To understand the true importance of this writing it is necessary to examine England’s history, which during this time is quite religious. Bossuet uses this to his advantage by attempting to make the people feel that as if they are disputing the word of God if they do not agree with the ideals of Divine Right. For example, “One must obey the prince by reason of religion and conscience”(Bossuet,138). Bossuet establishes that the Kings are a better guardian of countries welfare rather then the people through such statement as, “The prince is not born for himself, but for the public,” and “Goodness is a royal quality…,” (Bossuet, 140) then goes on to relate thes...