Thomas Hobbes And John Locke - 1676 Words

Thomas Hobbes and John Locke are social theorists who are both educated in Oxford University. However, they hold distinctive views on human nature, laws, societies, and government. Locke believes in democracy, which the power and the government are in the hands of people, but Hobbes believes in absolute monarchy, where the power and government are belong to the monarch. In this essay, I will mainly use comparison and contrast, first discuss their different opinions about human nature and laws because they are the building blocks to form the government, and then present their views on the formation and purposes of the government. Moreover, I will explain why Locke’s belief, I think, can form a better and more practical government than†¦show more content†¦Ã¢â‚¬Å"The state of Nature has a law of Nature to govern it.† (Locke 638) In other words, human beings must accept a constrained freedom in order to survive. For example, any person who tends to communicate with the others must obey the rules of speaking that language. Otherwise, he is creating a random sound, and no one will know what he is saying. Contrary to Hobbes’s view, Locke implies that men are born in a family, which is a small society of people who are bonded together. The family establishes rules, and teaches skills to its decedents. One of the abilities that the family teaches is sharing, which is crucial to make the family survive. For example, sharing occurs when a family distributes food, which was originally owned by a few people in the family, to all the family members. Human nature is the fundamental element of building a government. At this point I think Locke’s view, that men are born and raised in a family, is more reasonable than Hobbes’s view, that men live in a solitary life in the beginning. Both Hobbes and Locke hold different belief of the law of nature. Whereas Locke believes that family establishes laws and orders to its people, Hobbes prop oses that there exist no law and justice with the absence of an absolute power; all men are free to do anything they want. Consequently, human beings will live in a world that is full of violence. â€Å"For where no covenant hathShow MoreRelatedJohn Locke And Thomas Hobbes886 Words   |  4 Pagesdiscuss the differences in political theories expressed by both John Locke and Thomas Hobbes. In, Leviathan, by Thomas Hobbes, and in, The Second Treatise of Government, by John Locke different theories of political legitimacy and definitions of the state of nature are described. The following paragraphs analyze multiple different points that are imperative to understanding these political theories. In the reading, Leviathan, Thomas Hobbes discusses what human existence is in the state of nature andRead MoreThomas Hobbes And John Locke911 Words   |  4 Pagessocial contract theory, Thomas Hobbes and John Locke established many of the founding ideals that contemporary Liberalism is based on. While the shared many similar positions, there are some key distinctions to be made between the arguments Hobbes and Locke make in Leviathan and Second Treatise of Civil Government, respectively. In this paper I will argue the differences between how each of them viewed the right of the subjects to revolt from the sovereign. Thomas Hobbes published his most famousRead MoreThomas Hobbes And John Locke Essay1441 Words   |  6 PagesEifling-Question 4 Hobbes and Locke During and after the English Revolution, a few philosophers expressed different views on their philosophical outlook and life experiences. Some of the most outstanding thinkers include Thomas Hobbes and John Locke. 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Hobbes assumed differently, thus his verdicts are very different from other natural law theoristsRead MoreThomas Hobbes And John Locke1494 Words   |  6 Pages1) Thomas Hobbes and John Locke share the basic assumption that a theory based off of abstract individualism, consent, sovereignty and reason will produce a peaceful and productive society. This theory is the liberal political theory, which is the philosophy of individual rights and a limited government. Both Hobbes and Locke both center the majority of their ideas off of how people’s lives should be based off of nature rights instead of natural law. This being said, people are also subject to theRead MoreThomas Hobbes And John Locke1426 Words   |  6 PagesBy the second half of the 17th Century, England would experience one of the bloodiest conflicts in its history, ultimately serving to influence some of the most phenomenal political philosophers in Europe --Thomas Hobbes, and John Locke. England was in constant unrest, choosing new forms of government almost on a whim in desperate attempts to restore order in the Country. The English Civil War in 1642 etched a legacy of drea d in the people of England, and the war only appeared more disastrous andRead MoreThomas Hobbes And John Locke1659 Words   |  7 Pagesmajority. The following pages show how modern social contract theory especially that of Thomas Hobbes and John Locke, grew into the divisive issue it is in contemporary political philosophy. Modern social contract theory can trace its roots to prominent thinkers Thomas Hobbes and John Locke. It is their thoughts on social contracts that lie at the center of the many spheres we are a part of. For Hobbes and Locke, social contract theory sought to analyze the relationship between rulers and the ruled