Social Contract: Thomas Hobbes And John Locke

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Recommended: What Hobbes means by a “state of nature”. essay

It is solely within the state of nature, in which nothing more supreme than humankind exists, that the essence of man is revealed . The notion of a situation in which law would not dictate human behavior set philosophers from the Age of Enlightenment on a quest to uncover the innate attributes of man. Consequently, these writers concluded that man cannot peaceably exist without government, thereby leading to the establishment of the social contract theory. Thomas Hobbes and John Locke’s ideas regarding the state of nature were expanded upon to develop the social contract theory which served to express the purpose of government. The conceptions of Hobbes and Locke as presented in their theories had a gargantuan impact on the formation of the …show more content…

In Reflections on the Revolution in France, when discussing the social contract, Edmund Burke writes, “But if…the law is broken, nature is disobeyed, and the rebellious are outlawed, cast forth, and exiled from this world of reason, and order, and peace, and virtue, and fruitful penitence, into the antagonist world of madness, discord, vice, confusion, and unavailing sorrow” (61). Burke insinuates that a social contract is imperative for the establishment of peace in society. Thus, through violating the social contract, harmony is annihilated and man is forced to return to the state of nature. This relates to the shared idea of Thomas Hobbes and John Locke that the social contract serves as a solution for the complications and troubles faced in the natural …show more content…

Hobbes and Locke’s divergent perspectives concerning the social contract clarified the manner in which government should function for the people. Their theories assisted the American Founders in instituting a government that took into account both the iniquitous and virtuous aspects of human nature. Accordingly, it is the egocentric character of man in which government attempts to protect against that is the foremost reason for the existence of government. As stated by James Madison, “What is government itself but the greatest of all reflections on human nature? If men were angels, no government would be necessary. If angels were to govern men, neither external nor internal controls on government would be

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