...Comparing Thomas Hobbes and John Locke’s views concerning what life is like in a state of nature, we can see that the two-theorist’s share opposite views in making an assumption of what the state of nature is like. Thomas Hobbes’ views include pessimistic views of nature and how its effects can influence man to selfishly consider what he would need to do to secure his safety while John Locke presents a natural concept that assumes there is a universal thought of good that man is aware of. Attempting to justify the role of government or justice by understanding the state of nature can be somewhat accurate and can be considered for such purposes, but may fail to answer some aspects of society overall and leave other things unanswered. In regards...
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...1 Hobbes v. Locke Do you generally believe people are good? If you trust your fellow man so much, then why do you lock your door? This is a form of the question, the great philosopher, Thomas Hobbes would propose to people who believe that the general human state of nature is good. Thomas Hobbes had a pessimistic view of human nature, similar to John Calvin. Hobbes believed that the rapacious nature of man was for everyone to be at war with everyone. By competing in each person’s own self interest, which led to life being poor, solitary, and brutish until the formation of government. In the state of nature, this enables others to be able to come and take that away from you. This is the intersection where Thomas Hobbes and another great philosopher, John Locke, agree. They both believe that a source of social contract is necessary in order to get along in the state of nature. Although Thomas Hobbes and John Locke both developed the social contract theory, a closer examination of each fundamental philosophy reveals a greater contrast in theory than most fail to realize such as the contrast in origins of government, limitations of government, dwellings of sovereignty, and the rights of revolution. The social contract theory was developed by multiple influential thinkers of political philosophy. One of those men was Thomas Hobbes, who lived during the English Civil War. During this war, he witnessed the collapse of absolute government and therefore influenced his ...
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...Thomas Hobbes, an English philosopher in the 17th century, who was best known for his book Leviathan and his political views on society. Plato, an ancient Greek philosopher, who was a student of Socrates and a teacher of Aristotle, explored justice, beauty, and equality, and among many other topics. There are many common topics available to compare and contrast Thomas Hobbes and Plato. Although one point that has to be made clear is that, they share similar ideologies. Between Plato and Hobbes, there are many differences, however one of these differences is the result in how each writer perceives human beings and their roles within the state and society. Both have radically opposing views on human nature in general; because of the fundamental...
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...The Works of Thomas Hobbes The moral and political philosophy of Thomas Hobbes is very different from those of the ancients, specifically Aristotle. As a thinker during the Scientific Revolution, his picture of morality is framed in science. And while science is usually thought of to have no opinion about questions of right and wrong, Hobbes would argue otherwise. He wanted to move moral and political philosophy into the realm of science, where answers can—and should— come from science and reason, and away from the monopoly over human values held by religious texts. Furthermore, he called for a powerful, civil authority to combat what he called “the state of nature (Leviathan).” It may seem normal to define morality and science as entirely separate from each other, that is, to say that science can help explain why we may value certain things, but it can never determine what we should value. However, Hobbes sees an overlap between facts and values and attempts to use empirical answers to help figure out philosophical problems. This idea of applying facts to issues of good and evil rests upon the notion that questions such as “What is truly worth living for?...Or even dying for?” “What is morality?” and “What is a ‘good’ life?” have answers. Hobbes would say that they do, and with good reason. Questions like “What food is healthy?” or “What exercises are best?” are much like moral questions because it is difficult to find an exact answer due to the many different, correct...
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...Political Thinkers: Thomas Hobbes and John Locke Abstract The Social Contract theory which dominated the European political thought in the eighteen century has played a very important part in the development of the modern political theory and practice. Being the most important of all the speculative theories, it came into being as a result of reaction against the theory of the Divine Origin. This theory was the first to denounce the influence of the church in the state affairs, provided an explanation for the origin of the state and shows the relationship between those who governs and those who are governed. Thomas Hobbes and John Locke are the chief exponents of the Contract Theory. Both of them have established their thesis from the beginning of human habitation, though their ideas and opinions are quite distinct. Hobbes in his theory has only described one contract where Locke has described two. Thomas Hobbes’ “Leviathan” and John Locke’s “Two Treaties on Civil Government” these books are considered as bibles in the evolution of modern states system. Though there are criticisms and debates regarding the social contract theory, but the modern political theories today have evolved from these contract theories which has no doubt. The aim of this assignment is to compare and contrast between Thomas Hobbes and John Locke and explore their contribution in the development of international relations according to the analysis of their works. Introduction Thomas Hobbes’s Leviathan...
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...According to Thomas Hobbes in his book Leviathan, “The question who is the better man, has no place in the condition of meer Nature;…”(Hobbes XV.211). Hobbes established in his book that all men are equal in Nature; this is the ninth law and very important part of his political philosophy. Hobbes also reveals that his philosophy is significantly different than the writings of Aristotle. He challenges Aristotle’s views of the inequality of men, the good, and evil that controls man’s life. Hobbes would find that day’s society would view his ideal of the “ultimate government” as being liberal and not a complete representation of the United States’ ruling system. First of all, Thomas Hobbes’ ninth law of nature states that all men are created...
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...man lived in the state of nature. They had no government and there was no law to regulate them. There were hardships and oppression on the sections of the society. To overcome from these hardships they entered into two agreements which are:1. “Pactum Unionis”; and 2. “Pactum Subjectionis”. By the first pact of unionis, people sought protection of their lives and property. As, a result of it a society was formed where people undertook to respect each other and live in peace and harmony. By the second pact of subjectionis, people united together and pledged to obey an authority and surrendered the whole or part of their freedom and rights to an authority. The authority guaranteed everyone protection of life, property and to a certain extent liberty. Thus, they must agree to establish society by collectively and reciprocally renouncing the rights they had against one another in the State of Nature and they must imbue some one person or assembly of persons with the authority and power to enforce the initial contract. In other words, to ensure their escape from the State of Nature, they must both agree to live together under common laws, and create an enforcement mechanism for the social contract and the laws that constitute it. Thus, the authority or the government or the sovereign or the state came into being because of the two agreements. Analysis of the theory of Social Contract by Thomas Hobbes Thomas Hobbes theory of Social Contract appeared for the first...
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...and authority. There are many different viewpoints on how this theoretical contract originated and how it should be upheld. New enlightened thinkers Thomas Hobbes, John Lock, and Jean-Jacques Rousseau publically shared their views on the Social Contract. The Leviathan, published in 1651, was the first written work to argue certain interpretations of a social contract. Thomas Hobbes used this publication to explain to the world why an absolute government was necessary for the advancement of civilization and individualism. According to Hobbes, before laws and government were established, men existed in a “state of nature”. The hypothetical state of nature describes the condition in which people lived before a civil society. Hobbes believed that this state was full of chaos, fear, and self-reliance. Men were free to do as they pleased and there was no order to ensure their protection. In order to maintain a beneficial society, men would have to surrender their rights and freedoms to an authority in exchange for protection of life and freedom. One individual, a monarch, would have absolute power over the community and his rule is not to be questioned. Hobbes knew that monarchy rule did not always offer the best results but he did believe that it was better than returning to a war-bound state of nature. In Two Treatises of Government, John Locke expresses his disagreement...
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...University of Phoenix Material Influences on the Constitution Table Complete each section below. Include citations for your sources. |Documents |Summary |What was its influence on the Constitution? | |Magna Carta |Magna Carta is a document that King John of England was forced |Magna Carta served to lay the foundation for the evolution of parliamentary clause | | |into signing. The document was a succession of written promises|of the United States Constitution and enforced by the Supreme Court. | | |made between the king and his subjects that he would govern | | | |England and its people in accordance with the customs of feudal| | | |law. ("History Learning Site ", 2000-2013). | | |Mayflower Compact |Mayflower Compact is one if the first governing document of |The Mayflower Compact called for equality amongst people and...
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...amendment guaranteed proceedings for the law of the land(http://www.archives.gov/exhibits/featured_documents/magna_carta/) | Mayflower Compact | The purpose of the Mayflower Compact was to set up a government that the colonist can live by in their settlements | The Mayflower Compact served as the main foundation of the US Constitution. It basically laid down the basic laws that are present in it. . | Articles of Confederation | | | Northwest Ordinance | | | Declaration of Independence | Helped form the USA and separate from British power. The declaration of independence set up the rules for the new country | This gave the people the right to be free and to equals | Philosophers | Who was this? | How did his writings influence the Constitution? | Thomas Hobbes | Hobbes is the founding father of political philosophy(Hobbes, Thomas (1998 [1642]) On the Citizen, ed & trans Richard Tuck and Michael Silverthorne (Cambridge University Press, Cambridge) | Hobbes basically said that each individual has the right everything. | John Locke | John Locke was considered one of Britains greatest Philosphers and the father of Empiricism ( http://www.essentiallifeskills.net/johnlocke.html) | Locke's political philosophies of all men are free and equal and by nature have certain natural rights and that the people from the government not an absolute ruler were used by Jefferson in his documents(http://www.essentiallifeskills.net/johnlocke.html) | Selected patriots | Who was this...
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...be possible. The purpose of government is to protect property rights and to provide for security of its people. In a state of anarchy, this protection and security would be non-existent. This would cause humans to have to provide their own security and protect their own property. The debate on how humans would act under these circumstances was greatly examined by 17th centuries philosophers Thomas Hobbes and John Locke, and 18th century philosopher Jean-Jacques Rousseau. Each philosopher has different views on how humans would behave in a state of nature. Thomas Hobbes in particular is the most accurate in his description of how humans would behave and interact with each other. Like Hobbes, I believe that humans are only out to maximize their self-interests and in a state of nature, they will do so by any means possible. In The Leviathan, Thomas Hobbes takes on a realist perspective as he describes how he believes humans will behave in a state of nature. He writes that in such circumstances, humans are only out to maximize their own self-interests (Leviathan, Shifdar). I also take this perspective believing that in a state of nature, the main goal of humans is to obtain and preserve power. Basing my beliefs after Hobbes, I believe that to obtain such power, humans will attempt to do so by any means. In a state of nature, the most common way people will obtain power is through the formation of alliances; which will lead to the formation of a small government. The main goal of...
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...How successful were Hobbes and Locke in their attempts to justify the existence of Human Rights? In this essay, the main distinctions of Hobbes and Lock’s work will be discussed and how their work contributed to the existence of human rights. Other predominant thinkers, such as Bentham and Marx will be brought in to critically evaluate Hobbes and Lock’s attempts on human rights. Finally a conclusion will be drawn upon these points to state whether Hobbes or Locke was Successful to justify the existence of human rights or whether there were any flaws in their thinking. “Human rights are the rights that everyone has, and everyone equally, by virtue of their very humanity. They are grounded in an appeal to our human nature.” (R.T Vincent, human rights and international relations, page 13). Human rights are a concept that has been constantly evolving throughout human history. They had been intricately tied to the laws, customs and religions throughout the ages. One of the first examples of a codification of laws that contain references to individual rights is the tablet of Hammurabi, which was created 4000 years ago, it is considered barbaric by today's standards, the system of 282 laws created a model for the legal system. This kind of model and legally binding document protects the people from arbitrary persecution and punishment. The...
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...structure of government that really exist yet. The U.S is divided into three branches: legislative, judicial, and executive branches. This was done for the purpose of checks and balances. The branches have the power to check one another hence having a balance in power so the no branch is more powerful than another. Operating idea of federalism and constitutionalism, states could govern themselves, to a certain extent, and the national government would have the right to govern the states and nation as well. Ultimately the framers would divide powers amongst the three branches. No other democracies around the world use this approach. Many believe our three branches of government is the strength of the United States government. America’s forefathers divided the government into the legislative, judicial, and executive branches When the framers were developing the constitution, they wanted to establish a government where the freedoms of the people would not be susceptible. The framers used the principles defined by Thomas Hobbes and John Locke. Thomas Hobbes came up with the idea of social contract where individuals gave up certain rights in order for protection. Hobbes knew the people would need to give up some freedoms and follow a leader who would supply safety. John Locke believed that all individuals were entitled to his or her absolute rights and that social contracts were to be written in order to protect rights. Our forefathers trusted the work of Locke and Hobbes and believed...
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...John Locke, Jean-Jacques Rousseau, and Thomas Hobbes were significant figures during the Enlightenment, a European intellectual movement of the late 17th and 18th centuries emphasizing reason and individualism rather than tradition. These philosophers agree on some points, however they contradict each other on other ideas. In today’s society, capital punishment is a very controversial topic. Capital punishment, or the death penalty, is a legal sentence to die for serious criminal behavior. The death penalty is a controversial topic because some crimes are so odious that the perpetrator deserves to die and another view is that the authority makes mistakes and capital punishment cannot be reversed, once the convict is dead, he can not be brought...
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...Slide 1 - Ideology founded on the natural goodness of humans and the autonomy of the individual and favoring civil and political liberties, government by law with the consent of the governed, and protection from arbitrary authority. - advocates limited government, constitutionalism, rule of law, due process, individual liberties including freedom of religion, speech, press, assembly, and free markets Slide 2 Liberalism started as a major doctrine and intellectual endeavour in response to the religious wars gripping Europe during the 16th and 17th centuries, up until the cold war • Liberalism as a specifically named ideology begins in the late 18th century as a movement towards self-government and away from aristocracy. It included the ideas of self-determination, the primacy of the individual and the nation, as opposed to the family, the state, and religion, as being the fundamental units of law, politics and economy. • Liberalism first became a powerful force in the Age of Enlightenment, rejecting several foundational assumptions that dominated most earlier theories of government, such as nobility, established religion, absolute monarchy, and the Divine Right of Kings. • The first notable incarnation of liberal unrest came with the American Revolution, and liberalism fully flowered as a comprehensive movement against the old order during the French Revolution, which set the pace for the future development of human history. SLIDE 3 • The early liberal thinker John...
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