1. Henry VIII and the Church of England (1534)

2. Charles I loses his head (1649)

3. Oliver Cromwell and Parliamentary Reform (i.e., military dictatorship 1646-1660)

1. Human beings are, on balance, equal -
   1. Physical Ability
   2. Mental Ability

2. As individuals, we must compete for survival -
   1. Food
   2. Shelter
   3. Mates

3. Thus, if there were no normative institutions we would live in a State of Nature which would be ". . . solitary, poor, nasty, brutish, and short."

• Natural Law - an innate rational principle which forbids destroying oneself;
• Natural Right - the freedom to use one's talents and abilities to preserve one's life;

1. It is in our own best interest to seek peace (if for no other reason than to preserve our own life)

2. In order to secure peace it is in our best interest to moderate our liberty (which can only be achieved through a social contract)

3. It is in our best interest to abide by our agreements (which is the foundation of any contract; i.e.,Justice)

• Commutative Justice - the relative quality or value of goods and services
• Distributive Justice - the relative distribution of goods and services

4. It is in our best interest to be hospitable to one another to foster peace

5. Violations of the peace should be settled by arbitration

Because of Nature, our desire is for a long and peaceful life. This can only be accomplished in a community where our competing self-interests are controlled by law. Since such institutions do not exist naturally, we must create such communities (i.e., states) by trading liberty for safety.