During the 16th and 17th century, Europe went through political disputes regarding government which created uproar and conflict. English philosopher Thomas Hobbes published his document Leviathan during the War of Religion in 1651. The War of Religion was a time period in which Europe was trying to establish its religion between Catholic and Protestant (Huguenot). The Holy Roman Empire in particular had tension about religious beliefs due to the Peace of Augsburg which entailed each ruler to establish a religion for their state, also known as a confession. The Peace of Augsburg also entailed that when a new ruler came into power, they could keep or change the confession of that state and its practices.
John Locke DBQ When reading the Declaration of Independence it is apparent that Thomas Jefferson drew inspiration from John Locke’s Two Treatises on Government. This inspiration is apparent from the way Jefferson drafted our nation’s founding document. John Locke’s Two Treatises on Government heavily influenced Thomas Jefferson’s rationale for the propriety of America’s separation from England.
Asking about if the government should have full control over the lives of its citizens usually provokes an almost instinctual “no” to many. In 1984, George Orwell touches on a life like example of a government that completely controls its citizens. There are some obvious reasons to oppose governments like these such as wanting to be free on a individual dream and something as thought provoking like the imperfectness of human nature. But, a government should not have full control over its citizens because the government exists to protect one’s rights.
“That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed” (Jefferson, 1776/2014, para. 2). Authority should not reside over individuals, but with them. A heart cannot run a body alone. Likewise, a government does not operate a nation by itself. Individuals help maintain the justice of authority.
Throughout history governments have evolved in their laws and ruling tactics. It has also changed the way literature has been portrayed to the readers. This essay is based on Totalitarian government. Totalitarianism is a form of government that whereabouts the fact that the ruler and government is an absolute control over the state. Adolf Hitler, Joseph Stalin and Benito Mussolini are some of the dictators that had total control over the people and state.
John Locke and Jean Domat were influential philosophers during the 17th and 18th centuries, who proposed different forms of government based on their views. John Locke was an English philosopher and is best known for his natural rights concept. Jean Domat, a French jurist, emphasized the role of the state and the rule of law. There were many differences between John Locke’s views and Jean Domat’s in terms of the role and function of government. These differences included the limited government, individual rights, and the rule of law, which were expressed in both forms.
Alex Henderson Is it Freedom or Are We Under Locke and Key? John Locke in his political philosophy work Second Treatise of Government creates an argument surrounding the relationship between reason, rationality, parental power, and obligation. In his study of philosophy, he holds firm the importance of the pursuit of the summum bonum, or the “highest good”, and if we consistently pursue this good, that we will live the best possible life. With the use of rationality and right reason, we will be able to better understand the human condition and have a meaningful and fulfilling life.
People constitute government, and government becomes the enemy if not adhering to the
Totalitarianism is a political and social concept that explains a form of government where the state has all control over the civilians. Such government assumes full power, without any limitations. As put by Juan Linz, a totalitarian scholar, the three main factors of a totalitarianism government are “a monistic center of power; an ideology developed, justified and pursued by the leadership; and mass participation in political and social goals encouraged and even demanded by that same leadership” (Silberstein 42). Throughout the 20th century the manifestation of totalitarianism was an extreme measure of harsh political occurrences.
Analysis: Societies for centuries have searched for an answer to the enduring problem: “Who should rule us?” This question has been one of the central debates in political philosophy as well as in
In the words of Thomas Jefferson, “The care of human life and happiness and not their destruction, is the first and only objective of good government”. The government of different countries differ considerably depending on who gets the power. There are many types of government : monarchy ( absolute & constitutional ) , democracy , oligarchy , authoritarianism and totalitarianism . Here we discuss the comparison of absolute monarchy and democracy. Both absolute monarchs and elected democratic leaders act as the top representatives of their country and take important decisions.
Jean-Jacques Rousseau and Thomas Hobbes, two titans of the Enlightenment, work within similar intellectual frameworks in their seminal writings. Hobbes, in Leviathan, postulates a “state of nature” before society developed, using it as a tool to analyze the emergence of governing institutions. Rousseau borrows this conceit in Discourse on Inequality, tracing the development of man from a primitive state to modern society. Hobbes contends that man is equal in conflict during the state of nature and then remains equal under government due to the ruler’s monopoly on authority. Rousseau, meanwhile, believes that man is equal in harmony in the state of nature and then unequal in developed society.
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.
Only those who are born with true philosophical understanding can rule. In the Second Treatise by John Locke, Locke addresses the state of nature, which is essentially equality and freedom. Even though people have liberty, they still need to obey natural laws. On the contrary of Plato’s just city, Locke believes that absolute authority is not a civil government. A civil society is where the majority rules.
