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. This was a rather optimistic approach considering Locke only thought of government necessary to protect
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In the Thomas Hobbes mindset the world was bellum omnium contraomnes or a war of all against all.
Hobbes believed that absolute government was the best and that this government needed a powerful ruler who was beyond challenge. In his book Leviathan published in 1651, it shows a giant in power over everyone and everything to keep the peace. Hobbes thought that an absolute government kept people from destroying each other because life before government was solitary,brutish,nasty, poor and short.
How is this still relevant to our government and society? John Locke’s philosophy is regarded highly in the United States today. Although Jefferson was plagiarizing what Locke said when it came to the rights of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness aka property, it is a quote seen all over today. Many Americans believe that the government has too much control and that there should be less laws and restrictions on everything, from guns to marijuana, this is why The United States has such a long history of revolutionary shifting of power from Right to Left extremes. The American people are always expressing their rights to their opinion and questioning why the people in power do and think the way they do, due to Locke’s ideas