Should this ruler fail at that task Hobbes called for a transfer of allegiance of the people. As an atheist, Hobbes argued that religion was a useful propaganda machine as it was very capable of reminding the ignorant masses of their roles and duties. He was of the opinion that human life was, by nature, ‘solitary, poor, nasty, brutish, and short,’ and was doubtful about the prospects for progress in a world so short on ethics. As a result, Hobbes represented the pessimistic side of the Enlightenment, who viewed progress as the result of the suppression on man’s instincts, rather than the freedom granted to those instincts. Next, diametrically opposed to the pessimistic Hobbes was John Locke. In his Essay Concerning Human Understanding and Two Treatises of Government, Locke presented his idea that man’s mind is a “table rasa,” or blank slate. His optimistic belief was that every human is inherently good, and that they can all improve through conscious effort. Locke argued that human nature was mutable, and that knowledge was gained through accumulated experience, rather than the accessing of some outside truth. He also believed in the necessity of…