Thomas Hobbes and John Locke were political philosophers of the seventeenth century who each attempted to decipher the best form of government. Though they were both naturalists‚ Locke and Hobbes shared very different views on the natural laws that moved humans and this led to radically different beliefs on what they thought to be the ideal form of government. The first conceptual difference between Hobbes and Locke is the necessity of a central authority for humans to be able to live together in
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Locke and Hobbes both had detailed accounts as to what the state of nature is. I will start with Hobbes and what he felt the state of nature is made up of. Hobbes believed in defining the state of nature as what it is instead of what it ought to be. So he focused in on the nature of people and came to a very descriptive conclusion as to how survive in this particular state of nature. He stated that man was equal in ambition‚ cruelty‚ and treachery‚ which in turn makes humans equal in the ability
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common people and government workers. As Lock and Hobbes put it‚ a “social contract” was established between the two. By Locke and Hobbes’ standards‚ a social contract is the agreement between individuals and governments‚ in which both agree to make compromises to avoid the consequences of living in the state of nature‚ or life without the influence of government regulations. Although both philosophers believed in social contracts‚ Locke and Hobbes formulated their own versions of why individuals
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meaning because it is perceived differently by different philosophers. Hobbes‚ Locke‚ and Rousseau each discussed state of nature and why political societies had to established. To understand the views of each philosopher about the state of nature we first have to understand what they think about human beings in a natural state. Hobbes believes humans to be fearful of death‚ wretched and in constant war with one another. Locke believes humans to be perfectly free and have morals. Thus‚ people in Locke’s
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introduced. John Locke and Thomas Hobbes were both social contract theorists that have two very different opinions about how exactly we behave and what type of governing body would be most successful. While both Hobbes and Locke agree that individual power must be forfeited in order to achieve peace‚ Hobbes’s idea of how much power is extreme. Locke’s theories explain human nature more accurately and portray a better form of government through his ideas on natural right and democracy. John Locke describes
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Thomas Hobbes and John Locke are both undoubtedly two of the most well known and written about philosophers of all time. However‚ their theories and ideas on what society is‚ and what society should be should be differ drastically making them different as night and day. Thomas Hobbes had a rather dark view of society and the people in it‚ likely due to the political and civil unrest that he had experienced. This caused him to see humans as inherently hostile and that we are generally incapable
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in contrast to the innate evil of Thomas Hobbes’ authoritarian governance. Locke and Hobbes initially agree on a pre-history of human life in the “state of nature” by acknowledging the less organized rules and laws of human civilization under God. In agreement‚ these philosophers understand the “invention” of governments by human beings through the authority of God‚ but they contrast each other on the methods of governing. Locke’s major difference with Hobbes is based on the innate good of human beings
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In 1642 England was starting to seek for changes in the way their government was set up. John Locke and Samuel Rutherford were the leaders of this change‚ calling for the removal of an absolute monarch. Their works would be opposed by the ideas of Thomas Hobbes‚ during this eighteen-year civil war in England. The ideas represented in this period would heavily influence the way England’s government would be set up in the eighteenth century. In 1644 Bishop Ross‚ also known as John Maxwell‚ published
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address the state of nature are Thomas Hobbes and John Locke. People are inherently evil according to Hobbes‚ who alleged that individuals will look out for their own self interest before that of anyone else‚ resulting in a lawless and hostile environment. On the other end of the spectrum is John Locke. Mankind is inherently good according to Locke. He argues that humans have the ability to push personal desires aside and look toward the needs of the group. John Locke presents a viewpoint which is closer
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philosophers are more highly regarded than John Locke and Thomas Hobbes. The ideas and works of these two men have been discussed even to this day. While these two men attack the same topic with a great passion they happen to share a great number of dissimilarities. Whenever these two philosophers are discussed people often focus on their differences‚ however‚ they had several similarities. These two philosophers are both different sides of the
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