Vocab - Hobbes & Rousseau

If you want to double-check your definitions, here are some notes on the words you are working on for this unit:

1. selfish:  used to describe someone only cares about him/herself
2. warlike:  used to describe something or someone that/who is prepared for war or has the characteristics of war (strategic violence, battle, use of weapons etc.)
3. naturally: an adverb to describe an action that happens without having to think or learn about it.
4. complex:  used to describe something with many different parts—often can be considered complicated or difficult to understand.
5. corrupt: used to describe someone or something that is dishonest, wicked, or even evil.
6. purity: used to describe the state of being pure, or untainted by anything “bad."  Could also be related to innocence.
7. nature: someone’s fundamental characteristics; also used to describe the universal characteristics we share when used in the context of "human nature."
8. inclination: a liking or preference of something.  When you are drawn to doing something.
9. content: satisfied with what you have.
10. conflict:  to be in disagreement or to be contradictory
11. solitary: alone
12. brute/brutish: Noun: usually someone who is insensitive or crude.  Adjective: to be like a beast or with animal qualities.
13. society: a group of people organized by common rules (religious, political, cultural etc.) and a common identity.
14. civilization: an “advanced” living condition in which there is culture, science, government, and business pursuits.
15. idle: inactive or not doing anything.
16. instinct: a behavior that people/animals occurs without thinking.  A natural impulse.
17. savage: For Rousseau, he is talking about an "uncivilized" human being.  Keep in mind, though, that Rousseau considers civilization as a corrupting force, making someone who is not civilized actually better off than someone who is civilized. That said, Rousseau's argument has been criticized for its rather racist (or at the very least, condescending) overtones.
18. diffidence: not confident, timid.
19. awe: an extreme feeling of admiration and even fear.  Usually produced by something overwhelmingly powerful.  For Hobbes, he definitely means FEAR.
20. tendency:  a predisposition or urge to act in a particular way (that is acted upon frequently). (The way I see the difference between a tendency and an inclination is that a tendency actually happens: you complete the action that you are drawn to with a degree of frequency.  On the other hand, you can have an inclination to do something, but not necessarily act on it.  Those are my thoughts on this--though let me know if you had other ideas on differentiating these two words.)