Similarities Between John Locke And Thomas Hobbes

The age of enlightenment produced many new thoughts and ideas on how the world worked, and not all of them agreed. An example of this would be Thomas Hobbes and John Locke. Both these men had new complex ideas about the fundamental nature of human beings. John Locke believed that all men are born with certain rights and are fundamentally good; while Thomas Hobbes believed that one man should hold all the power and without government and rules humans would be in a constant state of chaos fighting over power. I personally agree with Locke because of his views on basic human rights, how involved people should be in the government, and how he fundamentally viewed people.

Locke thought that people are born with certain rights; an example of these

His writings inspired many off the men who became our founding fathers such as, Thomas Jefferson who listed Locke with Algernon Sidney as the most important thinkers on Liberty. Locke helped inspire Thomas Paine, James Madison, George Mason, Benjamin Franklin, and John Adams. Voltaire said “the man of great wisdom. What he did not see clearly, I despair of ever seeing”. Voltaire meant that he saw Locke as such a wise man, whatever Locke could not see clearly he would never see at all. His writings heavily shaped how involved we are now in our government and how much our government benefits us. Locke believed that everyone should have a say in the government and that power should be divided. Locke was one of the first to reject the idea that some are divinely chosen to rule over others. Accordinging to Locke the purpose of government is to help everyone achieve equal natural

Locke was an optimist in a world full of pessimists. In Inferno Dante states that some of the greatest acts of treachery are committed in the name of love; love is something people would consider positive so this backs up Locke’s theory that people are fundamentally good because the action however terrible has good intentions. Also something you hear all the time whether it be in history or in movies is “for the greater good” it’s sort of a way of saying that the price is high but the outcome is worth it. Hobbes only looks at the action but Locke looks at the motive behind it before he judges the person. We are born blank slates, you would never see a baby throwing slurs or derogatory terms at another child of different coloring. We are taught those things, a child we play with everyone and only starts judging them once it is taught to them. If humans were born selfish and evil the acts of children would be very