Reasoning of Human Nature

Reasoning of Human Nature

John Locke and Karl Marx have one thing in common, they both believe in human reasoning. Humans, they suppose, have the ability to be both rational and intellectual beings; they not only learn from those around them but also from their surroundings. Niccolo Machiavelli, however, disagrees with Locke and Marx. He argues that human beings are not reasonable and are chaotic without any such order. Although these three men differ drastically in their views on life and society, as a whole each became radicals that changed the world around them for centuries to come. Locke, Marx, and Machiavelli all based their beliefs on the views of the time period in which they lived and the influences that came with those eras.

Marx was an educated Jewish man who received his doctorate in philosophy. He derived his ideas from the Enlightenment, which emphasized life in reason and also secular progress. Marx was very much interested in class and viewed Imperialism as very irrational. He took interest in the German philosopher Georg Hegel. Hegel believed in an evolutionary history in which one system works very well, but then becomes challenged and deforms over time. He stated that history changes over time. However, Marx disagreed and believed that economy was the motive that pushes historical materialism. He believed that the key to production was in property. He viewed the Labor of Theory of Value and believed that workers, who were the Proletarians, deserved more then what they received. Marx saw how the proletariats were not treated with the same amount of respect that the upper class received. Marx believed that the upper class, or the bourgeoisie, was a plague that was spreading across the global fronti...

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...ast, it has left a mark in history that cannot be erased. These three men were perhaps the most influential men not only in their time, but also all throughout modern history. If it were not for these men, then civilization would not have advanced in regards to society and governmental rule. These men would also influence the economy in their own rights. For example, Locke believed capitalism was the way of the future while Marx believed that capitalism only helped the bourgeoisie while it harmed the proletariat. These men played a huge role in society and influenced the views of some leaders throughout history.

Works Cited

Locke, John. Second. Treatise of Government. New York: Hackett, 1980.

Machiavelli, Niccolò. The Prince. New York: Bantam Books, 1981.

Marx, Karl, and Friedrich Engels. The Communist Manifesto. New York: International, 1948. Print.