Compare And Contrast Hobbes And Locke - 1391 Words

Hobbes and Locke in State of Nature and War. Introduction Without a doubt, Hobbes with his work Leviathan and Locke with his treatises on The Civil Government illustrated a before and after regarding Philosophy and politics of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. The historical events in England such as the English civil war (Hobbes) and the war against France (Locke) marked both scholars and influenced their thoughts to match and oppose naturally. However, both made a significant contribution to serve two trends a realistic-monarchical (Hobbes) and another idealist-parliamentary (Locke) of what should be the social pact. The following essay tries to make an analogy between the two tendencies as well as to differentiate both†¦show more content†¦In this state of war, everything that happens is legitimate. There is no law or justice; anything goes, here what prevails is the force where there is no common power, there is no law. But there is a hope of solving this state. It is only explained by the existence of a powerful state w hich Hobbes calls â€Å"Leviathan.† Which rules the life of man in society, infusing him with security and hope the good ones, and with the penalty and the fear infused to the bad ones so that they desist of damaging the society. The Passions that incline men to peace, are fear of death (P. 593) The absence of this strong state causes disorder and chaos, so one must look for a ruler (Monarch according to Hobbes) who can strengthen the state to guarantee Peace and Order. The Locke s State of Nature For Locke, the state of nature is characterized by the freedom and equality of all men, in the absence of a universal authority. Men will remain in that state until, of their own accord; they become members of political society. Certainly, man has an uncontrollable freedom to dispose of his person or his possessions, but nevertheless I have not liberty to destroy himself, or so much any creature in his possession, (P.686), motive? The natural law. This natural law is none other than reason. The reason shows to all men Equal and independent (Ibid) that no one should harm another regarding his Life, health, liberty or possessions (Ibid) since all have the same divine origin and have beenShow MoreRelatedJohn Locke And Thomas Hobbes Compare And Contrast862 Words   |  4 Pages Locke vs. Hobbes Compare and Contrast Essay During and after the English Revolution (1642-1688), different philosophers acted differently towards the revolution , based on their ideas and personal experiences. John Locke and Thomas Hobbes stood out to be the most intelligent thinkers who argued in opposite ways. On the contrary they were similar in their approach for the use of reason. They both represented a trend in the 17th and 18th centuries to use reason as a final judgement. By analyzingRead MoreCompare And Contrast Locke And Hobbes State Of Nature1854 Words   |  8 Pagesthe following essay I will compare Hobbes’ account of the State of Nature, as depicted in his Leviathan, with Locke’s State of Nature put forward in his Second Treatise on Civil Government. Regarding the main differences, I will discuss how, for Hobbes, it is a state of war in which man is self-interested, and a government is required to oppose human nature. He concluded that there is no justice in nature, and notions of right and are wrong are mere social phenomena. Locke, on the other hand sees itRead MoreCompare And Contra st John Locke And Thomas Hobbes1680 Words   |  7 PagesJohn Locke and Thomas Hobbes are one of the most influential and famous philosophers who both had similar theories but had different conclusions. The two philosophers wrote a discourse â€Å"life in the state of nature† and argued about the government. 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Their points of view were remarkably different from thoseRead MoreComparing John Locke s Views On Political Systems969 Words   |  4 PagesCompare and Contrast John Locke was a scholar who lived from 1632-1704. Locke worried about the absence of limitations on sovereign authority. As a man that was pro government for the people, he viewed politics as for the people or the people shall revolt. In stark contrast, Thomas Hobbes, who lived through much turmoil as well from 1588-1679, such as a civil war in Britain which lasted from 1642-1648 thought a sovereign leader was the only way to protect society from itself (Riemer, Simon, andRead MoreBoth Hobbes And Locke Can Be Considered The â€Å"Founding Fathers†1685 Words   |  7 PagesBoth Hobbes and Locke can be considered the â€Å"Founding Fathers† of liberal political philosophy. Both theorists give their own accounts of human nature as well as how and what their concept of a government should look like. Hobbes and Locke also agree on most aspects of each other’s theories but also have contrasting opinions for their own notions. Hobbes’s conception of the best f itting government in which humans would be able to live freely and happily, would be that which is governed by an allRead MoreHobbes And Locke s Political Legitimacy1530 Words   |  7 PagesTheorists such as Hobbes and Locke, both of their account on political legitimacy might look quite similar at first glance, because each theorized about the nature of mankind and the right political systems that would meet the needs of individuals. However, in Hobbes’ perspective, political authority does not pre-exist in individual’s state of nature, rather, it is created by the social contract and serves to ensure self-preservation which is threatened in a state of nature. In contrast, Locke thought that