Comparing Thomas Hobbes And John Locke's View Of Human Nature
Hobbes believed that people do not have the the right to alter a government. Locke believed that people do have the right to alter a government.
John Locke and Thomas Hobbes were early English philosophers who each had very different views on the roles of the government and the people being governed. Their interpretations of human nature each had a lasting and vast impact on modern political science. Locke believed that men had the right to revolt against oppressive government. “‘Being all equal and independent, no one ought to harm another in his life, health, liberty, or possessions.”
Hobbes and Locke had opposing views and interpretations of men and their state of nature. Hobbes was around during the time that an absolute monarchy was the acceptable type of government for society. This was most acceptable to Hobbes because he believed that if society would leave man in his own state of nature he would be brutish. Also he believed that a government with
Thomas Hobbes He would like to study different types of governments. He thought that a monarchy government was better than democracy because he believed that they were naturally wicked and could not be trusted to govern. He believed that it was better to have a leader like a king that would knew how to be a leader and command a country. He would say that government were for the selfish people who were trying to hide their bad decisions.
Hobbes vs Locke When a unlawful crime happens we are shocked and paralyzed by fear and despair. Well ,with these crimes comes governmental responsibility this is why. Without a strictly ruled government violence, no productivity, and consequently no knowledge of the Earth would result. To begin, with “Without a common power to keep them in awe, it will result in a state of war” as Thomas Hobbes states. Strict power is important, absences of this allows us to forget that we are all equal and no one is higher than the other.
The Enlightenment: Hobbes vs. Locke Two famous philosophers, Thomas Hobbes and John Locke, have contributed to modern political science by expressing their views on human nature and the general laws that man had to follow. Both of their views differed in terms of how man should live his life. These views will be shown by comparing both philosophers’ opinions on the nature of man, and the various laws that constituted. Man was naturally evil, selfish, and living in a state of war, according to Hobbes. He believed that “humans were created “bad” by their creator”, and were “condemned to live in a world where bad things happen” (The Enlightenment, 1650-1789, p. 6).
However, Locke believed that humans had a natural sense of morality, and also that people had the natural rights of life, liberty, and property. Hobbes and Locke then used their opinions on basic human nature to define why people form a government, which they describe as a “social contract,”
Hobbes believes in an unsafe, truculent environment that individuals cannot wait to escape due to their constant feelings of doubt and being unsafe. Contrary, Locke believes that humans have a genuine obligation to themselves as well as their society to be honest, equal and tolerant of one
The two documents by Thomas Hobbes and John Locke both talk about human’s natural rights and why. The documents both lead ideas to believing that these basic laws govern human interaction in society. The documents would most likely be successful to a community if the document gives rights to each human,in every category from race to gender. The two mastermind thinkers of science both realized that humans already had rights even when most people during their time period was often worked as slaves and peasants. One simple right included life,because people naturally breathe air.
“‘Maybe ever’body in the whole damn world is scared of each other’”(Steinbeck 35). The story Of Mice and Men starts with two characters named George and Lennie. George and Lennie are trying to get their dream of getting their own place and working when they want. On their way to their dream, they need to work at a ranch and stay at a bunkhouse for a bit to get money. They meet Crooks and Candy at the ranch, who wants to join their dream.
Thomas Hobbes was enlightenment philosopher who lived from 1585 to 1679. In his first book, “Leviathan” he explained that all people were too selfish to be able to govern themselves and an absolute monarchy would be needed. He thought that absolute monarch was needed in order to keep everyone in check. John Locke was also an enlightenment philosopher but who had completely opposite views from Thomas Hobbes. He believed that all people were born with natural rights.
What is government for, what kind of power should government have, can people live in peace without government, the answers to these questions differ based on John Locke and Thomas Hobbes’ ideals. Thomas Hobbes took an approach called absolutism and John Locke took to the idea of constitutionalism. John Locke was born in 1632 and died in 1704, he published Two Treatises of Government in 1689 at the age of 57. Locke lived through an almost bloodless revolution, which helped to shape his ideas about citizens rebelling against the government. John Locke believed that people were born with the “god given rights” of life, liberty and property.
When comparing the political views of Thomas Hobbes and John Locke, it is evident that both believe that a government is necessary to maintain order. However, they differ in the form of government needed. In The Second Treatise of Government written by Locke, he supports a commonwealth where the people consent to be governed and the government enacts laws the people abide by. Comparatively, Hobbes in The Leviathan, advocates for a government ruled by a king who holds absolute power to keep the people in awe. These two men also differ in their views of man's state of nature; Hobbes believes men are naturally in a state of war while Locke thinks men are naturally free and peaceful.
When comparing the two different accounts of English philosophers Thomas Hobbes and John Locke we must take into consideration a number of things such as the age in which they lived and the time in which they produced their philosophical writings. We will however find out that these two philosophers actually have a couple of things in which agree on even though most of their opinions clash. On one side we have Thomas Hobbes who lived in the time of the English Civil War (1642-1651) who provides a negative framework for his philosophical opinions in his masterpiece Leviathan and who advocates for philosophical absolutism . On the other side we have John Locke, living during the glorious revolution (1688-1689) he presents a positive attitude in his book The Second Treatise of Government and advocates for philosophical and biblical constitutionalism. It is important that we know that the state of nature describes a pre- political society prior to the social contract.
The secondary literature on Hobbes's moral and political philosophy (not to speak of his entire body of work) is vast, appearing across many disciplines and in many languages. There are two major aspects to Hobbes's picture of human nature. As we have seen, and will explore below, what motivates human beings to act is extremely important to Hobbes. The other aspect concerns human powers of judgment and reasoning, about which Hobbes tends to be extremely skeptical. Like many philosophers before him, Hobbes wants to present a more solid and certain account of human morality than is contained in everyday beliefs.
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