Locke, Hobbes and Rousseau

2091 Words5 Pages

What is common in Locke, Hobbes and Rousseau is state of nature. In the state of nature all people are equal – although they have different talents they are equal, because having different talents doesn’t prevent equality - and have same rights but in time they try to command each other and make domination upon them. Hobbes associate this desire with the effort to dispel the insecurity which is caused by equality between people. According to his opinion, if two people desire the same thing that they can not possess at the same time, they turn on each other. – we can affirm that this hostility is generated by equality-. Mainly for the purpose of protecting their entity, sometimes only by enjoying they try to destroy or dominate each other. For protecting himself a person thinks its required to increase the dominance upon others. As a result of this, war between people emerges. He says that “ As long as there is not state, there is always war among people” The duty of the state is individual’s security. He assigns a state that would limit freedom to establish security and limit people to prevent them to hurt other people.

“And therefore so long as a man is in the condition of mere nature, which is a condition of war, private appetite is the measure of good and evil: and consequently all men agree on this, that peace is good, and therefore also the way or means of peace, which (as I have shown before) are justice, gratitude, modesty, equity, mercy, and the rest of the laws of nature, are good; that is to say, moral virtues; and their contrary vices, evil.”

As a foundation of the law of nature he asserts that, “Don’t act like you dont want what is done to you.”

Rousseau relates the desire of domination, with “faculty of self-improvements”. We always want to be superior than others and this causes inequality between people. So, state is required for satisfaction of people’s basic needs and providing opportunities.

When it comes to Locke, the reason is the right, which everyone has, to punish someone who violated the right of his own. That right causes people to hurt each other and to conflict. Thus, the state of war arises. For the sake of avoiding from the war, people construct the state. Duty of the state is -similar to Hobbes’s ideas- protecting individual’s life and properties.

Of Spontaneous Moral Laws

The root of the moral laws is inherent ...

... middle of paper ...

... everyone should make their decision by their own, otherwise it will be a dictate. Eventhough I definetely foresee the goodness of someone, for instance I might have a knowledge that that he hasn’t and would effect him, It wouldn’t be enough to direct his actions and life.

I admit that everyone can’t make the best choises for themselves. But it is also an important part of being a human. And at the same time, I admit that everyone has a right to form their actions and to determine their life freely even it’s not good for them. Otherwise, It would be denying that everyone have a capacity to realize themselves with their decisions, notions, ideas, actions.. It would be acknowledging that some group of people are superior than other due to their tallents. This aspect easily gives rise the clarification of people according to their faculties or than according to something else. It results with giving the superiors extensive rights than others. It prevents equality between people.

The series of laws such constituted , inheriting what is right or wrong, what is good or bad, can be called only as dictate not as morality. Because, morality can merely develop in the condition of freedom.

Open Document