Greg Nelson
Alex Morgan
Jeff Stricland
Mr. Haskell
Script
Reporter: Well today we have a wonderful group of people to talk to we have Thomas Hobbes, John Locke, Baron de Montesquieu, and Jean-Jacques Rousseau. Oh come on people lets hear for these great men (everyone applaud)
Reporter: So lets start over here on the left side of the room with Thomas Hobbes. Hello Mr. Hobbes how are you doing today?
Hobbes: Hello Fred I am great, it is good to be with you today.
Reporter: Well we are glad to have you here, what have you worked on or what are you trying to accomplish so far in your career?
Hobbes: Well Fred, One thing that I am trying to accomplish is a way that we can live together in peace and avoid the danger and the fear of civil conflict. I have come up with one thing that we could do to control this; we would have to have a strong government that would be able to suppress rebellions.
Reporter: What are some of your other beliefs?
Hobbes: Well, I believe that the main problem that we have is our social and political order. I believe that we should give our control to an unaccountable ruler (A person or group empowered to decide every social and political issue.) I believe the �natural condition of mankind,� is a state of violence, insecurity and constant threat to each other, and my thought of having a unaccountable ruler is the only way that we could deal with our problems.
Reporter: Well thank you for you time Hobbes.
Hobbes: It�s my pleasure Fred.
(APPLAUSE)
Reporter: Moving on down and we come to John Locke. Thanks for coming to the show today so lets get to business and start talking about your amazing career.
Locke: Thanks Fred I am truly honored to be here today and I must say I am quite excited.
Reporter: I would like to have you start out by saying what you do.
Locke: well I am a philosopher and I am mainly involved and concerned with the society and epistemology.
Reporter: Would you mind explaining what epistemology is?
Locke: Why certainly Fred it is simply a branch of philosophy that deals with the nature, origin and scope of knowledge.
Reporter: Now could you talk a little bit about your two main works in your career?
Locke: Well I wrote two essays, the first essay concerns the Human Understanding and the second essay involves the Two Treaties of Government.
Locke: My first book analyzes the philosophy of innate ideas; the essay also builds a theory of knowledge and mind that gives priority to the sense and to the experience.
Locke: my second book includes many of my theories about various ideas. For example I give distinct differences between simple ideas and complex ideas.
(Applause)
Reporter: Now we are over to Baron de Montesquieu lets here it for Mr. Montesquieu (applause)
So how are you doing today?
Montesquieu: hello Fred I am doing great and its great to be here today.
Reporter: So I hear that you have some insight on three types of government.
Montesquieu: Well yes Fred that is correct there is a Republican government that includes Democracy and Aristocracy, Monarchies, and Despotisms.
Reporter: Now what else have you accomplished so far?
Montesquieu: I wrote and published the Persian letters, which were an attack on Tyranny and inequality in France during the 18th century. I also Published the Spirit of the laws in 1748, which explained human laws as well as social institutions.
Reporter: What are some of your other's beliefs?
Montesquieu: I believe that Tyranny can be avoided by sharing political power much like the government of this country does. As a matter of fact, this country is a good example of what I believed and wrote about.
Reporter: What are some of your political standings?
Montesquieu: I don't have any real political standings that are relevant today, however, I am a liberalist.
Reporter: Thanks for your time and insight.
Montesquieu: Well thank you for having me here today.
(Applause)
Reporter: Well we are now to the last guest on our show today and he is Jean-Jacques Rousseau.
Well I here you have accomplished quite a bit Mr. Rousseau if you could be kind enough to inform us on your wonderful career.
Rousseau: Well, my career excelled starting with, in my opinion, one of the best books I wrote called the �Social Contract.� I feel that this is also my most important work because it demonstrates my thought of �liberty� where I wrote, �Man is born free but everywhere is chains.� I also think that since man alone cannot face other threats of society that his desire to join in with other men of what I call a �society� is greater.
Reporter: Yes well I agree with you on that. And what are your thoughts on man and human nature?
Rousseau: That�s a great question. In fact I find man quite confusing. I think that man was created essentially good, a �noble savage,� while in his normal �state of nature.� I also think, correspondingly, that all people born of the natural good nature are made corrupt and unhappy through coming in more and more social contact.
Reporter: That�s an interesting concept and I understand your perspective on that. So, Mr. Rousseau, where and when were you born?
Rousseau: I was born on January 28, 1712 in Geneva, Switzerland where I lived with my mother and father. However shortly after my birth, my mother passed away and my father fled the house in order to avoid imprisonment. After that happened I was left to be raised by my aunt and uncle until I was 16 when I moved out and lived in Paris shortly after.
Reporter: I am very sorry to hear that, however you�ve come a great distance and have made great accomplishments in your life despite your childhood, which I greatly admire. And I have one last question for you before we must end this show. What are your thoughts on child education?
Rousseau: I think that a child should be educated of their emotions before being educated by book learning. That way children will be better behaved.
Reporter: Thanks for your time and good night.
Rousseau: Thank you
Reporter: Well I would like to thank all of our guests one more time (applause). Its now the time were I have to say good-bye as we are now out of time and out of guests. Thank you and goodnight.