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
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to obey others‚ but one is a judge of oneself of what the law of nature requires. Locke furthermore argues that God gave the world to men in common‚ however it is not supposed to remain common and uncultivated (par. 34). The reason that it should not remain common and uncultivated because God gave it “to people for their benefit‚ and the greatest conveniences of life they were capable to draw from it” (par. 34). Locke then claims that with the labor of his body‚ and with the works of his hand‚ whatsoever
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First‚ I explore John Locke’s conception of substance. After‚ I argue that Locke’s theory of substance is necessary for his theory of identity‚ and therefore philosophically vital for Locke’s ethical and political theories. I consider objections to Locke‚ but ultimately defend Locke’s theory of substance and its primacy in Locke’s overall philosophy through a different interpretive approach. Locke’s Substrata: John Locke’s doctrine of substratum—a metaphysical theory that posits that an imperceptible
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March 28‚ 2012 John Locke John Locke‚ an English philosopher‚ used the idea of natural laws to make vital contributions to society. He worked his way up through Westminster School and Oxford and enrolled in the Church of England. He was interested in science and became one of the best practitioners of his time. With Locke’s connections‚ he met men of England but was also suspected for being disloyal. He went to Holland and returned in 1688‚ after the revolution. Locke made an influence on
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John Locke is among the most influential political philosophers of the modern period. One can easily see his tremendous influence on democracies throughout the world‚ especially the United States‚ today. Locke was born during 1632 in Somerset‚ England. He was the son of a Puritan lawyer who fought with the Parliamentarians against the King in the English Civil War. At the age of 14‚ Locke attended Westminster School; and later went on to study at Oxford University. At the age of 43‚ Locke had traveled
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DESCARTES AND LOCKE (Knowledge) One of the most important branches in philosophy‚ is Epistemology‚ which means‚ theory of knowledge. So far‚ philosophers have made many attempts to discover the source of knowledge‚ the standards or criteria by which we can judge the reliability of knowledge. We tend to be satisfied with think what we know about almost everything‚ even though sometimes we are shocked to discover that something that we thought it was sure and certain
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The Influence of John Locke John Locke was someone more than just an ordinary man. He was the son of a country attorney and born on August 29‚ 1632. He grew up during the civil war and later entered the Church of Christ‚ Oxford‚ where he remained as a student and teacher for many years. (Rivitch 23) With a wide variety of political and religious views‚ he expressed most of his personnel views on education and social and political philosophies. Once he noted the five
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separated from the churches. Societies based on secularism started to form. The separation of the churches and governments did not happen everywhere‚ the writing of theologians is no exception. Communism and capitalism were on the rise. Karl Marx and John Locke were very influential writers during this time and thanks to them we start to see the governments‚ churches and societies we know today. Karl Marx played a major role in capitalism as we know it. He presented capitalism in a way that was beneficial
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rights from their government. In The Second Treatise of Government‚ Locke defines political power as the inalienable birthrights of man‚ and the need for the formation of a legitimate government. John Locke’s The Second Treatise of Government defines a legitimate government in relation to the protection of inalienable rights. He views a valid government as one‚ which upholds his three main natural laws of life‚ liberty and property. Locke insists that it is proper to make laws for the regulating and preserving
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philosophy of John Locke and that of Tomas Hobbes. Thomas Hobbes and John Locke were philosophers from the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. The two men both had very strong views on freedom and how a country should be governed. Their view points are famous for contrasting one another. Hobbes has more of a pessimistic view on freedom while Locke’s opinions are more optimistic. This paper will attempt to examine six differences and six similarities between political philosophy of John Locke and that of
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