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Hobbes And Rousseau Social Contract Theory

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In the United States, a majority of the states require use of the seat belt as a means of protection in every individual’s personal car. According to Thomas Hobbes, human beings are naturally egocentric, pleasure- searching machines, who are aimed at doing whatever will best meet their own goals in life and this does not offer any option for cooperation with each other. Hobbes refers to this natural condition as a state of war, the unending battle of everyone against all. Therefore, Hobbes notes that the only solution to this condition is to enter into an equally beneficial agreement with each other as a social contract. Ten (1991) pointed out that the social contract helps in establishing a new, artificial body that conserves and safeguards everyone’s wellbeing. Jean- Jacques Rousseau as well contributed to the social contract theory by arguing that since people are created to perfect freedom, it is fundamental that they also commonly surrender to the authority of governments. Therefore, referring to Hobbes and Rousseau social contract theories the seat belt regulation is one of the laws that stipulates a governmental rule that can be upheld to safeguard the individual citizen whose conduct is under restriction. This paper thus explores the significance of the seat belt law, theories on the topic and ethical basis. It will be an evaluation of Hobbes and Rousseau political theories by assessing its advantages. Ethical Basis Hobbes and Rousseau’s theories had notable
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Thinkers Beliefs How their ideas were radical at that time How their ideas are related to classical liberalism Hobbes His belief was that the reason why humans have so many problems is because of their greed to protect only themselves. And monarchy was always more interested in helping those who benefitted them in return. He believed that a fair executor who would use his authority to stop humans from harming others is needed. His ideas were viewed radical at that time because state had less power and monarchy had all of it, it was times of war where weak people would get killed if they did not listen to wealthier class. His ideas in my opinion are like the base of foundation of classical liberalism as him and his peers were the some of the first people to research the “state of nature”” of people which made many of his successors want to do more for the cause.

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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).

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Thomas Hobbes described that life in a state of nature would be “solitary, poor, nasty, brutish, and short.” In addition, no one would be able to survive in an Anarchy society where there is no order and the safeguard of others is at risk. Therefore, governments require for citizens to surrender some freedom to obtain the benefits of the government. Thus, the government has preserved its two major purposes: maintaining order and providing public goods to the public and an uprising purpose of promoting equality. The main and oldest purpose of government is to maintain order by establishing laws to preserve life and protect property.

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Specific purpose: To persuade my audience about making not wearing a seat belt illegal. Central Idea: I will discuss the problem with not wearing a seat belt, the causes of not wearing your seat belt, and the solutions to make drivers and passengers wear their seat belt. Introduction I. Attention: We all heard of the saying click it or ticket it. Just imagine in one moment your whole life changed by one decision you could have avoided simply by buckling up.

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In contrast to Hobbes, who argues social bonds form to regulate human nature, Rousseau argues that the formation of the civil state results from and in a “change in man,” that humans must of necessity be denatured in the process of forming society. There are similarities between the two’s philosophies, but it is Rousseau, through his arguments that human nature can be changed, who articulates a political vision more consistent with the claim that humans are asocial by nature. In the beginning, the arguments of both Hobbes and Rousseau are similar. Man in nature is isolated.

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The questions of the whether social inequality is justified and the extent of government to address said inequality are some of the foundations upon which societies and economies are built. Two key philosophers on this issue – John Locke and Jean-Jacques Rousseau – differ on this subject. In Two Treatises on Government, Locke holds that individuals have a right to property derived from their labor, citizens consent to the existence of inequality in society, and governments are instituted among men to protect said property. In contrast, Rousseau writes in Discourse on the Origin of Inequality and The Social Contract that inequality should be strictly limited and that governments have a duty to act in the best interest of its citizens by maintaining

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There were many philosophers in the 17th and 18th century that influenced and inspired the founders of our country. For instance, John Locke believed that life, liberty, and property should be our natural rights as humans and if the government could not secure these rights then the people could get rid of them. That idea impacted Thomas Jefferson when he wrote the Declaration of Independence. This was the perfect time to develop different theories and contradictions because this was right around the time of the printing press and protestant reformation where people started to question the catholic church. Other philosophers like Thomas Hobbes, Voltaire, Montesquieu, and Rousseau impacted founders like George Washington and James Madison who have positively affected this country in many different ways.

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Both social contract philosophers defended different views about moral and political obligations of men living in the state of nature stripped of their social characters. The state of nature illustrates how human beings acted prior to entering into civil society and becoming social beings living under common legitimacy. The state of nature is to be illustrated as a hypothetical device to explain political importance in the society. Thomas Hobbes, propounded politics and morality in his concept of the state

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Hobbes’ approach hinges on this understanding. “[R]eason

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Hobbes developed the ‘social contract theory’, which is the idea that civilians give up some of their freedom and liberty for protection from the leader. This concept, which was used during Hobbes’s time, is still a part of the government today. Hobbes brings down this concept in his world famous book, Leviathan. A picture of a ‘giant’ monarch holding onto a tiny world is used to describe his version of the social contract. The drawing depicts the trade of freedom for safety.

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Summary Thomas Hobbes (1588-1679) theory of social contract, which states that we need moral, legal rules because we want to escape the state of nature which is solitary, poor, brutal, nasty, and short. In this state, a man can kill others, and there are limited resources. This can soon lead to a state of war in which we are constantly disposed to harm others to achieve our goals. So, in this state of war if a person was to possess a beautiful house or property, and had all the comforts, luxuries, and amenities to lead a wonderful life; others could come and harm him and deprive him of his fruit of labor, life, and liberty. Therefore, the state of nature is that of fear, violence, and distrust.

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Secondly, it will assess some of the opponent views to repressive government being the sure maintenance of political and social order. Furthermore an assessment of whether the theories of Hobbes are still relevant to the current understanding of International Relations considering the events and processes in this particular stage. Thomas Hobbes has commonly been classified as a realist because of his pessimistic perception that the fundamental instinct of all mankind is

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Hobbes, Locke and Rousseau have become known as three of the most prominent political theorists in the world today. Their philosophies and innovative thinking is known worldwide and it has influenced the creation of numerous new governments. All three thinkers agree on the idea of a social contract but their opinions differ on how the social contract is established and implemented within each society. These philosophers state, that in order for the social contract to be successful people need to give up certain freedoms in order to secure fundamental protections from the state, henceforth the state then has certain responsibilities to their citizens. Hobbes, Locke and Rousseau all believe that before men were governed we all lived in a state of nature.

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The families and friends affected by the loss of a loved one because of a driving accident causes great stress and detrimental loss. With the amount of lives that have been saved and could have been saved with a seatbelt it makes it easy to understand why the government has placed laws in regards to the use of seatbelts. Seatbelts have greatly impacted the driving community through the lives that could be saved, the laws and data supporting it, and how impacting and devastating not wearing a seatbelt can actually

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Thomas Hobbes proposed that the ideal government should be an absolute monarchy as a direct result of experiencing the English Civil War, in which there was internal conflict between the parliamentarians and the royalists. Hobbes made this claim under the assumption that an absolute monarchy would produce consistent policies, reduce conflicts and lower the risk of civil wars due to the singular nature of this ruling system. On another hand, John Locke counters this proposal with the view that absolute monarchies are not legitimate as they are inconsistent with the state of nature. These two diametrically opposed views stem from Hobbes’ and Locke’s different understandings of human nature, namely with regard to power relationships, punishment, and equality in the state of nature. Hobbes’ belief that human beings are selfish and appetitive is antithetical with Locke’s contention that human beings are intrinsically moral even in the state of nature, which results in Locke’s strong disagreement with Hobbes’ proposed absolute monarchy.

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