...THOMAS HOBBES Thomas Hobbes was a British philosopher who believed in Empiricism a theory that believes one gets their knowledge of the world comes from our sensory experiences through our hands, and mouth. At the time Hobbes wrote “The Leviathan” England were at upheaval over the civil war so he wrote “The Leviathan” as to show his observation on how Humans really are in their natural state with his assertion he suggest since being a royalist that to preserve peace , Man should form social contract. He believed any form of government is better than none. His Philosophy along with those of Machiavelli were seen as the foundation for Modern political thinking. Just like Machiavelli assertion that humans are essentially evil and selfish, Hobbes also believes that human are inherently selfish. The Mortal God as Hobbes describes “The Leviathan” is created in order to protect the people creating and enforcing the laws. Thesis Hobbes claim that when man is left in “The State Of Nature” he is unable to preserve his life making it brutish and short therefore man should form an social contract allowing an absolute authority the (sovereignty) create and implement laws they should follow in order to maintain peace and avoid civil war. Insight 2nd Paragraph Thomas Hobbes and Niccolò Machiavelli both make similar assertion but greatly contradicts one another. Both Hobbes and Machiavelli have a pessimistic view on human nature. Thomas Hobbes believes that humans are only interested...
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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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...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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...Nearly as old as philosophy itself, social contract theory is the outlook that persons’ moral and political obligations are dependent upon a contract or agreement among them to form the society in which they live. Socrates uses something quite like a social contract argument to expound to Crito why he must stay in prison and accept the death penalty. However, social contract theory is properly associated with modern moral and political theory and is given its first full exposition and defense by Thomas Hobbes. After Hobbes, John Locke and Jean-Jacques Rousseau are the best known proponents of this enormously influential theory, which has been one of the most paramount theories within moral and political theory throughout the history of the modern West. More recently, philosophers from different perspectives have offered new criticisms of social contract theory. In particular, feminists and race-conscious philosophers have argued that social contract theory is at least an incomplete picture of our moral and political lives. In addition, it might in fact camouflage some of the ways in which the contract is itself parasitical upon the subjugations of classes of persons. . Short Biography for Thomas Hobbes: Thomas Hobbes, 1588-1679, lived during the most crucial period of early modern England’s history. To describe this conflict in the most general of terms, it was a clash between the King and his supporters, the Monarchists, who preferred the traditional authority of a monarch...
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...John Locke, Thomas More, and Thomas Hobbes were all political philosophers of their time. Thomas More, would be the least of a philosopher out of the three. Thomas More, a respected statesmen and prominent political figure and advisor to Henry VIII, was best known for authoring Utopia which depicts the social, religious, and political customs of a fictional island and attempts to define an ideal society. More’s Utopia portrays a humanist ideal world, where there is freedom and harmony between individuals and Sovereign themselves. The difficulty with Utopia is that it does not consider actual human behavior patterns. A society can accept the idea of perfect society, there is no need for “thank you” or “I’m sorry” in a society that runs on perfection and generosity runs like a spectacular waterfall. The problem is that Utopia wouldn’t work, a society would become susceptible to negative behavior, once one individual abuses the generosity of others, others will see the advantage and start to follow...
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...| John Locke | The father of modern liberalism | | Cole Davis | 5/20/2012 | | Liberalism, a political ideology based on the belief that constant progress is achievable, the human race is composed of intrinsically good beings, and that these intrinsically good beings are and should be autonomous in nature, is an idea that made an incredible resurgence during the English enlightenment. As the belief of Liberalism gained popularity with the public it also developed an enormous following among European philosophers. John Locke, the individual responsible for the idea of natural rights as well as the social compact, helped mold this idea of Liberalism into its own unique philosophical tradition. Because of these great contributions, John Locke is considered as father of modern liberalism. Born August 29, 1632 at Wrington in Somerset, John Locke was the son of a lawyer and the oldest child of his Puritan household (Locke, Berkeley, Hume). While Locke was a child, his father closely monitored and guided his education. An incredibly educated individual, Locke first received a formal education at Westminster School eventually graduating to Christ Church, Oxford (Collinson). After receiving his bachelors of arts in 1656, Locke stayed at Oxford to earn his master’s degree. Locke became the censor of moral philosophy in 1664 and in 1675 when the Earl of Shaftesbury fell from power; Locke exiled himself to France to restore his health (Locke, Berkeley, Hume). After four...
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...Thomas Hobbes Thomas Hobbes was an English philosopher who was born April 5,1588 and died December 4,1679. He attended Oxford University where he studied classics. He was a tutor by profession and also traveled around Europe to meet scientists and to study different forms of government. Thomas Hobbes was the first great figure in modern moral philosophy. He became interested in why people allowed themselves to be ruled and what type of government would be best for England. Hobbes had a pessimistic view of people. His view was that humans were mean creatures who would do anything to better their positions. Also that people could not be trusted to make decisions on their own and a country needed an authority figure to provide direction and leadership. Therefore, he believed in monarchy- a government that gave all power to a king or queen. He said that democracy would never work because people were only interested in promoting their own self-interests. Despite this doubt of democracy, he believed that a contrasting group of representatives presenting the problems of the common person would prevent a king from being unfair and cruel. Hobbes originates the phrase 'Voice of the people' meaning one person could be chosen to represent a group with similar views. Legitimacy of government Hobbes was a dedicated materialist. The views that got him in trouble were related to this, as Hobbes claimed to believe in God...
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...The Social Contract The Age of Enlightenment was a period of reason, discovery, and knowledge. In the 17th century, Europe created a movement that supported personal intellect, skepticism, and individualism. People resisted traditional notions and set out to think for themselves and develop new ways of interpreting life. In this new age of reason, society’s origin was questioned and this resulted in a new philosophy. The Social Contract is a theory that explains the relationship between individuals 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...
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...a long study theory since 17th century, starting with Thomas Hobbes and then in more depth by Cesare Beccaria in 1764 when he published Dei Delitti e delle Pene (On Crimes and Punishments).Deterrence theory has continue to be study in more and more depth over the years by sociologist and criminologist and more recently the study of deterrence of specific crimes and using imprisonment times to deter crimes as well. The deterrence theory main idea is that punishment for crimes can be used as a threat to deter people from offending. There’s two parts of the deterrence theory, specific and general deterrence. Specific deterrence is focused fully on the individual; it instils fear in the specific individual being punished. This type of deterrence refrain the individual from future violation of the law. General deterrence is the Criminal Justice system making examples of specific criminals. The criminal isn’t the main focus but the criminal act and its punishment is received in a public view in order to deter other individuals from deviance in future. Thomas Hobbes was an English philosopher, best known for his work on political philosophy. Hobbes published Leviathan in 1651, which is the foundation of later Western political philosophy. In Leviathan, Hobbes describes men as neither good nor bad, he assumed that men are creatures of their own desire who want certain things and who fight when their desires are in conflict. Hobbes views that people generally pursue their self-interests...
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...Page 1 of 7 What is Social Contract Theory? The concept of social contract theory is that in the beginning 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...
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...Assess the view that morality is a conventional agreement for our mutual advantage This is the argument of Social Contract Theory first put forward by Thomas Hobbes. This is the theory that people only act morally because it is mutually beneficial and that we humans by nature are selfish creatures. Those who disagree with Hobbes’s Social Contract theory may argue that since there is no historical evidence of there ever being such an agreement signed by humans then how can the theory be true. On top of this Humanity has always lived in social groups and therefore never had a time where Hobbes’s theory of how life would be if we did not have a ‘Social Contract’ has never been tested and is invalid. On the other hand, these people appear to have taken the idea of a Social Contract in a literal instead of metaphorical way. Hobbes never suggested that people ever actually sat down and negotiated a contract, instead he was simply theorising what life for humanity would be like if all our laws and morals were stripped away he simply claimed that if we lived in a world without laws or morals that groups of humans would make agreements with others to make life easier for all parties. Another claim that may be made by those who disagree with Hobbes is that, if we are selfish and did not actively agree to follow this contract then surely we have no obligation to follow it? Although it is to our advantage for everyone else to be moral but if you were to gain an advantage from breaking...
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...Social Contract Theory on the Criminal Justice System and Private Security Philosophy Foundations of Ethics in Justice and Security Social Contract Theory on the Criminal Justice System and Private Security Prior to the social contract theory, there was no government body providing laws, order, and protection. Humans were left to protect their own lives and property. When problems ensued between individuals, evolution occurred, and the strongest usually survived. From this, the social contract theory emerged, which required a group of individuals to give up their individual rights to govern themselves, and comply to a selected government authority. This government represents the group’s interests and forms and civil society that provide protection of life and property (Souryal, 2007). This paper will summarize the different social contract theories, focus on John Locke’s social contract theory principles, and discuss how these principles influenced the Bill of Rights. Additionally, this paper will search how these principles are present in the criminal justice system and private security settings. Lastly, the paper will describe freedom of personal rights and ethical standards and obligations. Social Contract Theories There are many different versions of the social contract theory. Thomas Hobbes' social contract theory defines state of nature as a condition of self-absorbed human...
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...The Grapes of Wrath directed by John Ford is a 1940 film based on the Pulitzer winning novel by John Steinbeck. It tells the story of the Joads who during the Great Depression in the 1930s were run off their farm in Oklahoma. The film details their journey to California in search of work and a new beginning for their family. This paper will relate the main character Tom Joad to the philosophies of Thomas Hobbes and his theory of the state of nature and government as an artificial creation, and Jim Casy to Jean Jacques Rousseau’s theory of government and society as inhibitors of our natural freedoms. The Grapes of Wrath Tom Joad, played by Henry Fonda in the 1940 drama film Grapes of Wrath, is the main character who opens the movie returning to his home in Oklahoma after serving four years in prison for manslaughter. On the way he runs into Jim Casy, the former preacher who warns Tom that most sharecroppers have been evicted due to the effects of the depression. Once finding his family’s farm deserted, he finds them at his uncle’s farm preparing to also leave the next day for California in hopes of finding work and a brighter future. As they begin their treacherous journey across Route 66, the Joads and Casy endure many hardships. Grandpa, who didn’t want to leave his land, dies and is buried alongside the road. Then they run into a man who informs them that there is no work in California, but with not feeling they had any other options, they carry on with hope that they...
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...explored, the philosophers’ opinions made for a decent starting place for the Founding Fathers. Some specific philosophers included Thomas Hobbes, John Locke, Charles Montesquieu, Nicolo Machiavelli, and Jean-Jacques Rousseau. For starters, Thomas Hobbes was the author of Leviathan. The “natural state” that Hobbes discusses is one of anarchy and where every individual is created equal. Since everyone is free and equal, they are free to do as they please as there are no laws to enforce them in this natural state. This resulted in everyone to suffer from a “continued fear and danger of violent death; and the life of man was solitary, poor, nasty, brutish, and short.” This piece argues strongly for a social contract. Basically, peace in a society as well as a society that is unified is best achieved by establishing said social contract. The idea of that natural state is the cause of citizens creating these social contracts because by giving up individual rights and living under an absolute power, they remove fear between one another and promote self-preservation. A state is meant to be powerful and control order within; according to Hobbes, it is best to give absolute power to the kings. This absolute power is best to guarantee the security of the commonwealth and common defense as this power would “make life, liberty, and property possible.” Some of Hobbes’ ideas contradict the governing principles that one may see today in the U.S. Constitution, but others remained consistent and can...
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...The Purpose of Government What is the Purpose of Government? Ronald Reagan said “Government’s first duty is to protect the people, not run their lives.” This quote follows the fundamental principles of a Social Contract as described by Thomas Hobbes and John Locke. Though the two Enlightenment thinkers had some contradicting views they came to the same conclusion. Government is created by the people, for the people. Thomas Hobbes was the first person to explore the idea of a social contract between citizens and their government. Hobbes was an influential Enlightenment thinker who believed that people are naturally selfish and violent and that life without government is “nasty, brutish, and short.” He argued that people...
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