Hobbes and Locke Paper: Social Contract Theory April 15‚ 2012 Thomas Hobbes and John Locke are two of the most influential political philosophers of the modern age. Their ideas on political philosophy‚ among other ideas‚ have helped shaped the Western World‚ as we know it. One of the most important theories that the two have both discussed‚ and written in detail on‚ is the idea of the social contract. Social Contract Theory is the view that moral and/or political duties depend on a contract that
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philosophers Jean-Jacques Rousseau‚ John Locke and Hobbes are few of the many who have successfully contributed to the discussion. Rousseau however states that a state is only acting Legitimate when they govern their citizens with consent and equality. Both Rousseau and John Lock both have similar views on the way the state should govern their citizens. Although they do have different thinking in recourses where Rousseau goes against Locke and Hobbes decision‚
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Hobbes vs. Locke vs. Rousseau/ State of Nature/ Allam/ 2013 “I am at the point of believing‚ that my labor will be as useless as the commonwealth of Plato. For Plato‚ also is of the opinion that it is impossible for the disorders of the state ever to be taken away until sovereigns be philosophers . . . I recover some hope that one time or other this writing of mine may fall into the hands of a sovereign who will consider it for himself‚ for it is short‚ and I think clear.” -The Monster of
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In Leviathan‚ Thomas Hobbes argues that all humans are by nature untrustworthy‚ motivated only by self-serving factors—namely fear of death and glory—and will therefore seek to harm others when possible to elicit safety or greater relative gain—as besting another in competition for some resource is a source of glory—for themselves (Hobbes‚ 559-560‚ 565). It follows‚ then‚ that since all humans are flawed by nature in these respects‚ no one man or woman could hold a greater claim to power over another—as
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In The Leviathan‚ Thomas Hobbes uses a scientific method to analyze humankind. Additionally‚ he examines natural law‚ the social and political contracts. The natural condition results in war through desire‚ but we are able to escape this through seeking peace. By using the social contract‚ humans can become peaceful. By using reason‚ Hobbes is able to explain the human condition according to him. According to Hobbes‚ the natural condition of humanity results in war for one main reason - desire. The
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the Island in The Lord of the Flies Even for the observant reader‚ the island in William Golding’s‚ The Lord of the Flies‚ appears to simply be an uninhabited‚ deserted tropical island or a fantasy land that does not base itself in reality. Though Golding himself may have purposely attempted to create an illogical and chimerical paradise‚ he incorporated real parts of real tropical islands into his work. Whether Golding attempted to create an illogical island or he simply put no effort into the history
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When researching the two philosophers Thomas Hobbes and John Locke‚ I have come to a realization that they are both correct considering people are themselves no matter. When looking at a majority though I tend to side with John Locke. People are genuinely more loving and helpful people when it comes down to the bare minimum. For example when there is a natural disaster people are typically more helpful than harmful. One of the most recent examples is the two hurricanes that hit the south-eastern
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always chased authority and power. The same situation can be observed in William Golding’s Lord of the Flies‚ a novel which shows its audience that under circumstances where no authority figure is present it is human nature to develop like forms of societies that exist in the 21st century. The situation and course of events directly relate to the time period in which Golding wrote his masterpiece. In his novel‚ William Golding portrays the story of a group of British boys governing themselves‚ filling
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Thomas Hobbes (1588-1679) and John Locke (1632-1704) greatly disagreed on many key issues of their day; issues such as human nature‚ political authority‚ and the right of people to rebel. Hobbes studied before the Enlightenment‚ whereas that influenced John Locke’s views immensely. Hobbes’s ideas are also derived from his pessimistic view of human nature. He viewed people as selfish and greedy. To the contrary‚ Locke viewed people as good and intelligent. Hobbes often described people as selfish
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Thomas Hobbes was an absolute monarchist that believed human beings were organisms that were in constant motion‚ and needed to have some sort of authority or restraint‚ so they could be stopped from pursuing any selfish act. In contrast to John Locke were he believed in a democratic rule and constitutes that human nature was identified by reason and tolerance. The political ideology that Hobbes obtains is precise regarding the following points: people are naturally born with rights but must give
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