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Ideas of the age of enlightenment
Thomas hobbes influence on today
John locke views of government
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More handpicked essays just for you.
Ideas of the age of enlightenment
Thomas hobbes influence on today
John locke views of government
Don’t take our word for it - see why 10 million students trust us with their essay needs.
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
“The most perfect education, in my opinion,is…to enable the individual to attain such habits of virtue as well render [her] independent” (Doc D). The Enlightenment was a time period from the early 17th century to the late 18th century. There were many philosophers who contributed to making The Enlightenment. John Locke was a man who wanted freedom of government during 1690 (17th century) in England. He wanted this because he believed everyone was born with natural rights and the government should respect them and whoever didn’t, the people would have the right to impeach them.
Hobbes and locke were two philosophers who two different ideas on the world and human behavior as a whole. Hobbes mainly believed that without any form of government people will always be trying to fight for power. On the other hand, Locke believed everyone is born peaceful but can be corrupted by society. Hobbes and Locke both had very different views on different human nature, the purpose of government, and both had a big influence on many different countries.
John Locke believed in a democracy and expressed that humans have the ability to govern themselves. However, Hobbes believed that humans are selfish and need a single leader(king) that should govern all affairs. Post French Revolution people lived under Hobbes theory, but wanted to become a democracy.
As the seventeenth century began, there were many changes yet to come for the world that would shape what it is today. Two political thinkers helped make these changes in the aspect of political thought. Those two thinkers went by the names of Thomas Hobbes and John Locke. Both of these two men were incredibly smart and knew what they believed. Both of them believed in a centralized government that was chosen by the people so that the people were able to have power also.
The Enlightenment was a time period in which people began to embrace individuality and many Enlightenment thinkers arose. The Enlightenment was a movement that was highly based upon reason and logic. It occurred around the mid-1700’s and helped develop a new way of life. John Locke was an influential thinker during this time. John Locke is a french philosopher and writer who developed Natural Rights.
During the Enlightenment period, two Enlightenment thinkers Thomas Hobbes and John Locke developed two distinct social contract. In their social contract, they share theories of how the government should be run and their views on humanity. Thomas Hobbes social contract stated that people need an Absolute Monarch to rule society. On the hand John Locke believes that society should be run based on consent between the people and the government. If presented the opportunity I would choose Thomas Hobbes to lead my country because without a strong government to impose law and order chaos and instability will ensue and eventually the country is going to fall apart.
John Locke, also known as "The Father of Liberal Philosophy," was a modern philosopher in the seventeenth century. John Locke was known around the world for his works, especially "Second Treatise on Government" in which he wrote in 1690. He expressed his essential view through his writings, stating that government is morally appreciative to serve people, namely by protecting life, liberty, and property. His writings inspired such people as Thomas Jefferson, offering inspirational ideas for the Constitution. Locke's idea is that people are born blank, with no awareness or responsibilities.
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.
Locke and Hobbes wrote so eloquently and intelligently that their words are still held in high regard today. However, the study of such a controversial subject that resounds still today gives more questions than answers. One would say that wisdom comes with age and if that is the case, who is closer to the truth with ethical and moral precision: Locke or Hobbes? Having a government is important but the most important way
Thomas Hobbes was an English man who lived from 1588 to 1679. He worked as a tutor for the children of wealthy families and started writing during his free time. While he was writing, he challenged a lot of England’s political structure, especially the King’s role in the political state. The monarchs believed in the Divine Right, which is the belief that their power comes from God, but in Hobbes’ theory, the power comes from the people, which is called the social contract. The social contract is the theory in which the political power in a community comes from the consent of the people and an agreement is established between the ruler(s) and the people that they rule over.
He is well known for his arguments in favour of a social contract between the state and its citizens to empower the former to be a sovereign force to protect the latter. Like many other great thinkers, his concern was to create a social and political system that could best protect men and women from the dangers of civil conflicts. However, Hobbes marks the beginning of a tradition that started to question the usefulness of Aristotelian approach to knowledge acquisition. With rationality as the touchstone for the progress of knowledge, Hobbes, influenced by Bacon and many others, sought to rebuild its foundations on mathematics and empiricism.
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.
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.