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Locke Vs Hobbes Dbq

559 Words3 Pages

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.” (Document 13) He thought that humans were born with natural rights and that if a government violated those rights, then the people were justified in doing whatever necessary to overthrow that government.
“Hereby it is manifest, that during the time men live without a common Power to keep them all in …show more content…

Although, their views on the type of government and the natural rights of its citizens greatly differed, especially regarding the state of nature.
The state of nature is an idea used in political philosophy that was used by Enlightenment philosophers. It’s a representation of human nature without society. Locke believed that “Men living according to reason, without a common superior on earth, to judge between them, is properly the state of nature.” (Document 13) Hobbes said in The Leviathan humans were in a “state of war,” (Document 14) and that without an absolute ruler to control the people, they wouldn’t have peace.
Many successful governments and societies have been based upon Locke’s ideal government. The United States of America was founded on the idea that men were born with unalienable rights: life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. (Document 10) One of Locke’s primary beliefs was the people’s right to revolt against oppressive government. Some of the greatest nations rose from a revolution including the United States and France. These revolutions led to greater and stronger

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