Hobbes wrote a piece of work titled the Leviathan,which meant a powerful ruler.Hobbes wanted the people to give up their rights to become a strong organized government.n the Leviathan “he argued that people were naturally cruel,greedy,and selfish.”(Ellis and Esler 183)…
The social contract theory is the belief that people are free and equal by natural right , and that this in turn requires that all people give their consent to be governed; espoused by Thomas Hobbes and John Locke and influential in the writing of the Declaration of Independence. Hobbes believed that a monarchial type of government was necessary to restrain humanity’s bestial tendencies because life without government was a “state of nature.” Stating that people will live like animals without rules. On the other hand, John Locke argued that the government’s major responsibility was the preservation of private property. He also denied the right that no king should govern but also that individuals were born with equal and natural rights.…
After analyzing how Locke and Hobbes understand the state of nature it is evident that they share many ideas but they also show essential differences in their ideas. Hobbes regards the state of nature as a state of war, in which natural law is established only after a process of reasoning. This process leads men to the conclusion that they must somehow find…
1. Locks justification of private property can be summed by stating, the earth and all it possess is property to be used by people in common for their own benefit and existence. In Locke's view, every individual must have private property rights In order to possess the property in common. To Locke, property also justifies and gives authority in terms of wages, land, and labor. Also in order to be justified, and individual must not possess more property then can be used for his benefit. This comes about from his dislike of authoritarianism both on the individual, community, and religious levels. Locke dictates that we have a natural right as humans to everything common i.e.: water, air, life liberty and property, (the earth and everything in it is considered property). Everything within the earth is considered commons until labor converts it to private property. But that being said Locke does give limits to private property. Privatization is limited by needs, we must leave enough, and as good for those who need it (though the accumulation of wealth to Locke is a natural right). In other words lock views waste as immoral and the limit of privatization. Other immoral acts to Locke include degrading the commons, and depriving others of their natural right of commons. Today, we have overcome these limits by having a huge income inequality, polluting our world through industry, and by not making full use of property. We degrade our commons through dumping, and polluting our air through industry, and we pass bills to let corporations get away with it easier. That goes the same for the other two; currently we pass legislation that helps corporations exceed Locks natural limits to property.…
The most amazing thing about philosophy has and always will be that no one specific philosophy can be considered correct or perfect, we as human beings deem philosophies correct because of our life experiences and our individual way of thinking. Over time we acquire new knowledge and philosophies for which we base our way of living on. For example, Robert Filmer upholds his belief of the monarchy’s divine right to rule over men in his book Patriarcha but in the last few chapters of his book Locke responds to Filmer by saying that one man should not hold such power. Locke argues that separation of power with different branches of government should be implemented and that ultimately the people have the supreme power over the state, and they have the right to overthrow unjust rulers. Of course, Americans are very familiar with this philosophy since the founding fathers of the United Sates used it as the basis of the Declaration of Independence. In section 50 near the end of Chapter V: Of Property Locke writes a key passage where he concludes that men have voluntarily accepted an…
Locke agrees with Hobbes that the purpose of government is to create order in society but contends that people are reasonable and would cooperate with each other and could rebel if ruler were tyrant. Ruler stays in power only as long as he has consent of those governed. He said people had natural rights, including right to life,…
At first sight, Locke’s The Second Treatise of Government, seemed quite similar to Hobbes’s Leviathan. They both believed that a state of nature is a state that exist without government. They believe that men are created equal in this state, however Hobbes argues that because of self-preservation, man possessed the desire to control over other man. Locke, on the other hand, reasons with a more peaceful and pleasant place.…
Thomas Hobbes and John Locke were to philosophers with opposing opinions on human nature and the state of nature. Locke saw humanity and life with optimism and community, whereas Hobbes only thought of humans as being capable of living a more violent, self-interested lifestyle which would lead to civil unrest. However, both can agree that in order for either way of life to achieve success there must be a sovereign.…
Both Hobbes and Locke shared similarities within their political theories; however their theories also had some major differences. Both men were responding to the crisis of the 17th century and they were highly influenced by the scientific revolution. Hobbes and Locke rejected all previous theories regarding human nature. They used the same methodology, and the men accepted an atomistic view of society. They believed that individuals were rational and were motivated by self-interest. Hobbes and Locke traced their theories from a state of nature to the social contract. They agreed that the legitimacy of the government rested on the consent of the governed. Together, both men rejected legitimate political authorities such as Divine Right of Kings, brute force, historical tradition, and feudal contracts. Both political philosophers offered interesting arguments pertaining to government, human nature, and the state of nature.…
The ideas of John Locke and Thomas Hobbes heavily influenced the thinking of the writers of the U.S. Constitution. Both believed in a social contract, that is, that government exists at the consent of the governed, but Locke believed that people would naturally come together to govern themselves, while Hobbes believed they needed a strong authority (monarch) to bring them together. As you research to learn more about what these two philosophers thought about politics, which of their two fundamental ideas most reflect your own thinking? Why? I agree more so with John Locke and his statement on letting the people govern themselves because we do have rights and should be able to make our own decisions. We shouldn’t have to ask someone permission on which school my kids should go to or if I should run this or that or how I live my life. If Thomas Hobbes would have enforced letting someone have total rule then the world would be more complicated today if someone else made decisions for us.…
Locke agreed with Hobbes on certain things but he also disagreed with him too. He wrote in the second treatise of government that man need to be governed by a ruler. John Locke is also famously known by what he believed in which was life, liberty, and property. These were the natural rights of man given by the government and if the government took away these rights, man has a reason to overthrow the government. As said before the idea that Locke said and believed influenced Thomas Jefferson to write the declaration of independence.…
Most of the economic and political texts are written with the main agenda of finding solutions that could boost the welfare of man. This also gives an account of how economic and related social issues and structures play an integral role in shaping the politics of a people. This fuels regime change, a change in the economic policy which is later used by the ruling class to mobilize political support. Some of the authors that have contributed greatly to the discourse of political, social, economic, and religious wellbeing of the people include Locke, Equiano, Shelley, Darwin, Marx, and Freud.…
Thomas Hobbes contribution was the suggestion that the social order was made by human beings and therefore could be changed by human beings. Hobbes looked on the individual as selfish, concerned with self-preservation, searching for power, and (potentially at least) at war with others. For Hobbes, in the state of nature, there was a war of all against all and life is nasty, brutish, and short. Since individuals are rational, they agree to surrender their individual rights to the sovereign in order to create a state whereby they can be protected from other individuals. Locke and Rousseau further developed this idea of a social contract, although in a somewhat different form than Hobbes.…
Hobbes' Leviathan and Locke's Second Treatise of Government comprise critical works in the lexicon of political science theory. Both works expound on the origins and purpose of civil society and government. Hobbes' and Locke's writings center on the definition of the "state of nature" and the best means by which a society develops a systemic format from this beginning. The authors hold opposing views as to how man fits into the state of nature and the means by which a government should be formed and what type of government constitutes the best. This difference arises from different conceptions about human nature and "the state of nature", a condition in which the human race finds itself prior to uniting into civil society. Hobbes' Leviathan goes on to propose a system of power that rests with an absolute or omnipotent sovereign, while Locke, in his Treatise, provides for a government responsible to its citizenry with limitations on the ruler's powers. The understanding of the state of nature is essential to both theorists' discussions. For Hobbes, the state of nature is equivalent to a state of war. Locke's description of the state of nature is more complex: initially the state of nature is one of "peace, goodwill, mutual assistance and preservation". Transgressions against the law of nature, or reason which "teaches mankind that all being equal and independent, no one ought to harm another in his life, health, liberty and possessions," are but few. The state of nature, according to Locke's Treatise, consists of the society of man, distinct from political society, live together without any superior authority to restrict and judge their actions. It is when man begins to acquire property that the state of nature becomes somewhat less peaceful. At an undetermined point in the history of man, a people, while still in the state of nature, allowed one person to become their leader and judge over controversies. This was first the patriarch of a…
When comparing Rousseau to Hobbes and Locke, the differences in their ideologies are prominent, however, they are still similar in some ways. In the State of Nature according to Rousseau, “man’s natural sentiment was that of his existence, his first care that of his preservation” (Discourse, Part II). This man is known as the “nascent man” and is often contrasted with the “savage man”, who exists in civilized society. In this State of Nature, man’s primary concern is to look after himself, similar to Hobbes’ and Locke’s, However, this is essentially the extent of the similarities between the three. Hobbes and Locke believe that man is naturally a societal animal who thrives with the presence of politics, whereas Rousseau believes exactly the opposite: that man is naturally a solitary animal, and that society corrupts us.…