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Political philosophy thomas hobbes
Compare hobbes and locke
Comparison: Hobbes, Locke, and Rousseau
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In the prior times in American society in the early and late 17th century, the American people had endured and experienced the oppression of the Britain monarchies and their laws. Furthermore, the citizens had to pay heavy taxes on Britain imports, sugar and even stamps in order to pay off war debts from the French and Indian War. The American citizens had enough of the tyranny,thus leading a rebellion of overthrown the monarchy, and finally the starting point of the American Revolution. In the aftermath of the Revolution, the American society were in turmoil as they began to establish a new government; however, the Constitution were in doubt that they were able to contemplate how to restrict or limit people’s rights and government’s authority. In the depths of American society, there …show more content…
Keywords: Thomas Hobbes, Baron de Montesquieu, and John Locke. Thomas Hobbes. Thomas Hobbes was not only a philosopher, but also a scientist, as well, who has theory of all humanity that the human citizens with whom doesn’t quite deserve democracy. Hobbes’ pessimistic belief upon humanity that the people who were born to become corrupted, malevolent, treacherous humans has the inner urge to self-indulge themselves of gaining property through theft and the possibility of causing death and absolute anarchy. As his major work “ Leviathan” claims that the government only came to existence of providing the protection of the people. If the people were to resigned their rights to a strong monarch of the government, that the citizens might be able to acknowledge both death and despair. His ideal of providing the natural rights of the people and also the government's authority completely contradicts to Locke's
This is because Hobbes travels a lot, and realize people are born evil. He said people act impulsively without government. Today our government is limited. The trail of tears illustrates a belief in limited government. In the 1820-1840s the United States government forced several tribes of Native Americans to migrate to reservations west of the Mississippi River. Justice was not being equally administered to all degrees of people as Hobbes thought a unlimited government would be. I believe that without government, human would naturally be in a state of war. This is because it is the human nature to desire power. It is shown in everyday lifestyle that we fight to obtain control. For example, people fight over money to gain control. People commit crimes to show that they have some sort of power. Without government, the world would be a chaotic place. Therefore I believe that a government is a necessary element for society to control people’s greed over control. On the other hand, in contrast to Hobbes, Locke believes human are born good. I personally agree with Locke that humans are born good but society blinds our innocence and creates a second human nature to desire
Hobbes, an aristocrat who lived through the English civil war, had to flee England, watch his monarch’s execution, and observes the violence of human nature at its very worst. Given this experience, his central concern was the need for absolute power to maintain peace and prevent another civil war. On the other hand, John Locke lived and wrote forty years later, after the Glorious Revolution. His ideas developed in the context of a period in which individual’s rights and power were emphasized. He believed that individuals needed freedom from control to reach their full potential. Hobbes became an advocate for absolutism--the belief that because humans are naturally power seeking, a sovereign is needed to maintain peace, and the individual must completely submit to that power. In contrast, Locke advocated constitutionalism, the belief that all individuals have inherit rights, government should be based on consensus, and citizens must fight for their liberty in the face of an overpowering government. These philosophers and their ideas outlined the debate about where power should lie in society–with the individual or with the state.
Hobbes and Locke argued that people mainly formed a state for different reasons according to their ideology. Hobbes mentioned that humans only formed a state for their mere self interest to protect themselves from the wrath of others. In contrast Locke had a more positive perspective that individuals believed it was moral to form a state to protect their natural rights and would not be deprived from their rights. In Leviathan, Hobbes asserts, "Conferre all of their power and strength upon one Man, or upon one assembly of men, that may reduce all of their Wills, by plurality of voices," (Locke, 95). Comparing the statement of Hobbes with Locke is the following, “It is not, nor can possibly be absolutely arbitrary over the lives and fortunes of the people," (Locke, 70). Both theories on the sovereign power relates to the human nature. For example Hobbes’s believes that humans need a strong authority to protect citizens from each other and outside forces, which is why the sovereign has absolute power. Critiquing Locke 's perspective he mentions that the people in state of nature live in peace and tranquility amongst each other setting moral limits without having a sovereign (central
Hobbes explains that if human beings do not accept government, they will not live a peaceful life and their lives will be short due to constant war and the lack of justice. He also adds that government offers human beings a better life due to the advantages it gives them. Without government, “there is no place for industry, …no culture of the earth, no navigation, nor use of commodities that can be imported by sea, no commodious building, …no society, and which is worst of all, continual fear and danger of violent death, and the life of man, solitary, poor, nasty, brutish and short” (Leviathan, 76). Hobbes’ statement shows that he argues for civilization and sees it as important to humanity. He also implies that human beings are better off being governed than by governing themselves and they should therefore give up their natural power of governing themselves to a common power to govern them. This is evident when he says, “that a man be willing, when others are too, as far fourth as for peace and defense of himself, he shall think it necessary, to lay down his right to all things, and be contented with so much liberty against other men as he will allow other men against himself” (Leviathan, 80). In other words, for human beings to live peacefully, they have to give up some of their rights as it is impossible to meet the individual rights of all of
Hobbes and Locke had very different ideas how government should work. For example Hobbes believes that humans would use the lack of government to do whatever they desire. He believes that there should be a powerful common power/monarchy. He believed that people who did wrong would get punished the right way and if they don’t then they would escalate their crimes and do worse things. In his book The Leviathan Hobbes said in document two, “Where there is no common power, there is no law; where there is no law, no injustice… Justice and injustice are none of the faculties neither of the body nor mind.” he text from Hobbes’ book support why he believes that man will do worse things if they don’t have a strong hand to stop him from doing worse is
Thomas Hobbes is known best for his political thought and the English philosopher. The vision of Hobbes for the world is still relevant to modern politics. He always focus the problems of social and political order: that how human beings can keep away the terror of civil and difference to live together in peace and got authorize to decide every social and political matter. Otherwise state of nature anticipate us and closely remind us of civil war where there everyone have insecurity and fear violent death and human cooperation. Hobbes himself had complex view of human motivation that most researcher accept. He see that human beings are much more self-interested. (Hobbes)
Human nature, according to Thomas Hobbes, is a base and narrow kind of nature. In Leviathan he argues from a mental absolutist standpoint: an absolute ruler is the best form of government, although not in response to a Godly proclamation. In his opinion, it is the only form of rule which uses human kind’s totally self-interested nature to its advantage, and shows benefit to the people. Giving up certain liberties for the sake of safety while living at the whim of an absolute ruler may sound absurd these days. However, in this kind of society, Hobbes believed, the rational course of action is for the citizens to act peacefully with each other. In class we discussed the similarities to the mafia. In this society, live peacefully and don’t
Through this examination of ideas, a conclusion may be made concerning the ideal form of government to preside over society today. In his famous writing, “The Leviathan”, Thomas Hobbes explains that the natural condition of mankind is when a society lives together without the rule of a common authority or power; this creates a “dog-eat-dog” world in which the citizens live in a perpetual state of utter chaos and fear. The fears experienced by the citizens are not only of the unequal distribution of the power of others, but also fear of the loss of their own power. In Hobbes’ state of nature there is complete liberty for society in the idea that each member may do whatever he or she pleases without having to worry about infringing upon the rights of the rest of society; in other words, one is allowed to do whatever necessary to pursue their own happiness. However, there is no guarantee of safety and protection from that same power which is granted to every other member of society.... ...
On the other hand, though John Locke held a strong influence in the construction of the Constitution, one cannot eschew Thomas Hobbes’ effect on the both of them. Hobbes also purported a State of Nature for Man, although his was one of great hardship, war, and suffering; “where every man [was] Enemy to every man” (Hobbes, pg. 89). Like Locke, his too was a state of perfect equality, not because everyone had equal right to the fruits of the earth, but because they were all equally able to be killed (Hobbes, pg. 87). The life of man without the protection of a civil authority was, according to Leviathan, “solitary, poor, nasty, brutish, and short” (89). In order to better protect themselves the people, out of fear, submit to an all-powerful authority,
In sophisticated prose, Hobbes manages to conclude that human beings are all equal in their ability to harm each other, and furthermore that they are all capable of rendering void at will the covenants they had previously made with other human beings. An absolutist government, according to Hobbes, would result in a in a society that is not entirely focused on self-preservation, but rather a society that flourishes under the auspices of peace, unity, and security. Of all the arguably great philosophical discourses, Hobbes in particular provides one of the surest and most secure ways to live under a sovereign that protects the natural liberties of man. The sovereign government is built upon the idea of stability and security, which makes it a very intriguing and unique government indeed. The aforementioned laudation of Hobbes and his assertions only helps to cement his political theories at the forefront of the modern
From the year the first people found America continent, the British government became the ruler of America. The Parliament made the colonies conquered the Native American tribes. But later on, the British ignored what the colonies did for them, and started to cause troubles for the colonies. When it is at the point where the Parliament issued the acts of unaffordable taxes, with so much bad thing built up, the colonies united together and started to fight. After seven years of the American revolution, the society had experienced dramatic changes on people’s life.
Thomas Hobbes is frequently credited as being a forefather to modern liberalism. With his beliefs on individualism, along with his agreeance and acceptance of intellectual and moral autonomy it is easy to understand why many modern liberals would agree with Hobbes’s political philosophy. However, Thomas Hobbes does not support the concept of a democratic government, rather he supported the notion of a absolutist government up until his death. Special attention must be given to Hobbes’s denial that autonomy can be thought of, or conceived as, a form of self-government. It is important to take note that Hobbes’s argument against democracy is significantly more exhaustive than merely autonomy. Hobbes believes that democracy cannot work as a form of government due to numerous reasons, three of which will be the focus of this paper. Initially, we will lay a foundation to demonstrate how democracy is not equal to other forms of government, rather it acts more like a launch point for other, more preferable, types of government regimes. Secondly, we will demonstration that democracy reproduces the instability and despair that is accustom with, and found in, the state of nature, which is contradictory to the entire idea of a sovereign. And finally we will establish that while Hobbes consents to and also protects intellectual and moral autonomy, the notion of autonomy, in its political form, as self-government (which may be taken to imply democracy), cannot work because of its contradictory nature. This is a result of the notion, that government, for Hobbes, is responsible for the creation and subsequent enforcement of the laws. Hence, these reasons put forth by Hobbes, in addition to the arguments that will be made against ...
...en are evil in their state of nature and that the public should not have control in the government system. This was a part of Hobbes’s social contract in which he makes the agreement that man must obey the laws and rules of the absolutist government. Although the theory worked for Hobbes during the time period he lived, Locke had a different approach in government in which society was more involved. Locke described man as a rational human being who pursued almost identical characteristics to an authority. Locke argued that a monarch was the best way to run a government, but he argued that the people had the right to express how they felt about their ruler as a whole. Both Hobbes and Locke had different interpretations of government with their opinions about man in society and these opinions are what shaped their ideal forms and individual participation of government.
Hobbes’ Leviathan and Locke’s Second Treatise of Government comprise critical works in the lexicon of political science theory. Both works expound on the origins and purpose of civil society and government. Hobbes’ and Locke’s writings center on the definition of the “state of nature” and the best means by which a society develops a systemic format from this beginning. The authors hold opposing views as to how man fits into the state of nature and the means by which a government should be formed and what type of government constitutes the best. This difference arises from different conceptions about human nature and “the state of nature”, a condition in which the human race finds itself prior to uniting into civil society. Hobbes’ Leviathan goes on to propose a system of power that rests with an absolute or omnipotent sovereign, while Locke, in his Treatise, provides for a government responsible to its citizenry with limitations on the ruler’s powers.
Hobbes believes that without government and structure, humans are doomed to live their lives in chaos, like savages or even animals since “… in the nature of man we find three principal causes of quarrel: competition, diffidence, [and] glory…” (pg. 76, par. 6). He continues on this point, by stating that without government, man is in a constant state of war with each other. In this state, every man is each other’s enemy and the ideas of justice do not exist (pg. 76 par. 8). Without a ruler, each man is his own lawmaker. Henceforth, each man is, by nature, entitled to the right to protect himself. The idea of self-pre...