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Thomas Hobbes And John Locke Essay

2105 Words9 Pages

NAME: Fatima Gidado

ID NUMBER: BU/15C/LAW/1722

MODULE: History of ideas, Science and Society 1

ASSIGNMENT QUESTION: (i) Thomas Hobbes and John Locke were both social contact and natural law theorists. Discuss. (30 marks)
(ii) Explain the application or usefulness of these to contemporary society and Nigerian society in particular. (20 marks)

Thomas Hobbes was born in London in 1588. He did his college education at Oxford University in England, where he studied classics. Hobbes traveled to other European countries numerous times to meet with scientists and to study different forms of government. At his time outside of England, Hobbes became attracted to why people allowed them to be ruled and what would be the best form of government for …show more content…

We keep the right to life and liberty, and gain the right to just, impartial protection of our property. He states that if a ruler longs for absolute power, if he acts both as judge and member in disputes, he puts himself in a state of war with his people and they have the right and the duty to kill such rulers and their servants. Also civil society leads the state, both morally and historically. Society makes order and permits the state legitimacy. Men have rights by their …show more content…

In order to secure self-protection and self-preservation, and to avoid misery and pain man came into contract. The idea of self preservation and protection are in mans nature and in order to make it work, they voluntary surrender all their rights and freedoms to some authority by this contract who must command obedience. Hobbes was the supporter of absolutism. In Hobbes opinion “ law is dependent upon the sanction of the sovereign and the government without sword are but words and no of strength to secure a man at all”. He is therefore saying that civil law is the real and best law because it is commanded and enforced by the

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