John Locke Compare And Contrast Essay

Compare and Contrast

Thomas hobbes, and John locke were both English Philosophers. Thomas hobbs discussed, and later developed the social contract theory fro his book the Leviathan. Both of John locke's and Thomas hobbes they both looked forward of to create a civil order to protect not just their security of a only person, but the whole state. Both Thomas Hobbes and John Locke were supporters of liberalism. They both supported individual freedoms and equality. Both Thomas Hobbes and John Locke were supporters of liberalism. They both supported individual freedoms and equality. Locke supported revolutions while Hobbes supported absolutism. In this regard, Hobbes did not support the principle of separation of powers that Locke proposed in his

hobbes argued that what we today call civil society should exist only by the power of the state, and to the extent that it existed independent of the state, for example private associations, corporations, and political discussion, it should be suppressed. This measure is the distinctive characteristic of modern totalitarianism, both communist and fascist, though Hobbes’s reasoning in favor of this measure is fascist, rather than communist. Hobbes favored unlimited power for the state, and he favored it for the purpose of ending all conflict and contention. He saw all non-state society as simply bad happenings that should be suppressed.If people go about their material lives freely they will come in conflict, and Hobbes regards it as the duty of the state to prevent such conflict.Locke argues that government is legitimate, but only legitimate in so far as it acts within the limits of this implied contract. Like any unwritten contract, it is not at all clear just what precisely the limits of Locke’s contract are, and Locke clearly considered that his contract could stretch a long way, but is equally clear that modern twentieth century governments are substantially breaking it, for the majority of disputes that an ordinary citizen finds himself involved in are disputes with the state, and in these disputes, for example with the irs , the state acts as judge in its own cause, a clear violation