John Locke and Thomas Hobbes on Government and the Governed

John Locke (1689) and Thomas Hobbes (2010) share a common underlying concern: establishing a social contract between the government and the governed. To be legitimate, government must rest in the final analysis on the â€Å"consent† of the governed, they maintain. They also share a common view of humanity as prone to selfishness (Morgan, 2011 p. 575-800). Given the modern era, Hobbes views of the state of nature and government seem antiquated; no longer do the masses wish to be subservient to anyone man without question. Lockean principals are now the base for today’s modern, just, prosperous and free states. Government is needed in the first place, as James Madison (2009) once put it, because â€Å"men are not angels.† Left to themselves, Hobbes believed total chaos and societal breakdown would result. He called this scenario a â€Å"war of all against all† (Klenner, 2005, p. 673). Men were almost animal-like in Hobbes’ view, brutish and ope rating out of base primal instinct for personal survival and advancement. Locke foresaw the same potential threat as Hobbes, but he felt that man, as a social, animal, also had an innate desire to cooperate as well as compete. He could choose to be virtuous as well as venal (Morgan, 2011, p. 716). Not simply because he was â€Å"good,† but because cooperation and conflict reduction were also in his enlightened self-interest (Morgan, 2011, p. 594). Locke, unlike Hobbes, was a Deist, and was influenced by his religious view of man. Men are sinnersShow MoreRelatedJohn Locke: Founding Father of Modern Era Liberalism1444 Words   |  6 PagesThomas Hobbes, Jean-Jacques Rousseau, and John Locke are all great thinkers who were greatly influential in forming philosophies that would affect the future of politics. By analyzing each philosopher’s ideology, we can identify which thinker’s theory reflected modern era liberalism the most. For this paper I will be arguing that, John Locke provides a more compelling framework of modern era libera lism because of his perception of the state of nature, the social contract and the function of governmentRead MoreThe Enlightenments Eras Most Notable Thinkers1684 Words   |  7 Pagescharacteristics of this historical era are its different ideas regarding the nature of politics and the role of government in ruling over the people, its new regard for and conception of traditional viewpoints of religion, and a philosophical divergence with the past in terms of ethics and psychology; a review of the Enlightenments most notable thinkers (such as Thomas Hobbes, John Locke, Thomas Jefferson and Benjamin Franklin) readily confirms this thesis. One of the central tenets of the EnlightenmentRead MoreDifferences Between the Arguements of Thomas Hobbes and John Locke in Leviathan and Second Treatise of Government1322 Words   |  6 Pagesarguments of Thomas Hobbes and John Locke in Leviathan and Second Treatise of Government, they seem to agree on many things. Both philosophers believe that human reasoning is based on appetites and aversions, that humans have a fundamental right to self-preservation, and, above all, that a strong central government is the way to remedy the problems with the state of nature. However, after looking closely, many important differences become apparent. All differences between the arguments of Hobbes and LockeRead MoreEssay on Contrasting Thomas Hobbes and John Locke1011 Words   |  5 PagesContrasting Hobbes and Locke Nearly two-hundred and twenty-five years ago the United States of America chose to fight a Thomas Hobbes government, with the hope of forming a John Locke institution. The ideas of these men lead to the formation of two of the strongest nations in the history of the world: Great Britain followed by the United States. Thomas Hobbes viewed the ideal government as an absolute monarchy, due to the chaos of the state of nature in contrast, John Locke’s idealRead MoreThomas Hobbes And John Locke928 Words   |  4 Pagesand the purpose of a government must be explicated to generalize what is needed and why. To create a positive and successful political institution these values must be viewed to attain the prime government. The state of nature is the freedom of individuals in a civilization where there is no formed society, government, laws, safety, etc. both Thomas Hobbes and John Locke take this into perspective while introducing a political view. As illustrated by Thomas Hobbes, John Locke, Karl Marx, and FriedrichRead MoreLegal Positivists : Legal Positivism896 Words   |  4 Pageslaws as a written declaration made by government officials that have legal power to control certain aspects of society and human conduct (Himma, 2004). Legal positivist recognize all rules, regulations, principles and other forms of law that come from an authorized government body or official (Himma, 2004). But Legal positivist do not recognize laws, principles or any form of law or behavior modifier that does not come directly from an authorized government official (George, 1996). Any behavioralRead MoreThomas Hobbes State of Nature Essay1152 Words   |  5 PagesIn the beginning, there was a darker side to the preservation of life. Man lived a life of kill or be killed, without any regard for other than his own. Life was solitary, poor, brutish and short. This barbaric and primitive state is what Thomas Hobbes believed to be the State of Nature. Practical reason dictates that when threatened you either act, give up your property, or anticipate for a sign of weakness to act. This means that all have a right to everything so long as it can be attained. PeopleRead MoreJohn Locke versus Thomas Hobbes Essay1297 Words   |  6 Pageswould be frozen in a single moment in time. Thomas Hobbes and John Lock were two English philosophers who observed tremendous changes in English politics betwee n the years of 1640 and 1690. In closely examining the views of both of these philosophers in subject areas such as the nature of man in society, the relationship between a society and its government, and the affect that both philosophers’ novels had on the government, it can be concluded that both Hobbes and Locke’s philosophies created prominentRead MoreJohn Locke And Thomas Hobbes886 Words   |  4 Pagesdiscuss the differences in political theories expressed by both John Locke and Thomas Hobbes. In, Leviathan, by Thomas Hobbes, and in, The Second Treatise of Government, by John Locke different theories of political legitimacy and definitions of the state of nature are described. The following paragraphs analyze multiple different points that are imperative to understanding these political theories. In the reading, Leviathan, Thomas Hobbes discusses what human existence is in the state of nature andRead MoreAnalysis Of John Locke And Baron De Montesquieu s The Declaration Of The Independence 1374 Words   |  6 PagesOutline Intro Preamble: Bridge to D.I.: Bridge to Jefferson’s influences: Enlightenment Thinkers: Thesis: Enlightenment thinkers John Locke and Baron de Montesquieu would highly agree with the preamble to the Declaration of the Independence, while Thomas Hobbes would strongly oppose the preamble due to his general lack of belief in humanity. Body Paragraph One TS: John Locke, often referred to as one of the most influential philosophical and political thinkers of the seventeenth century due to his