Comparing Machiavelli, Hobbes, And John Locke

The main concerns in the works of Plato and Aristotle was understanding and knowing virtue and justice, and deciding who had the best qualities to lead. In both hands, the political community at large and how morals and politics intertwined were the concerns of Plato and Aristotle. Nicolo Mchiavelli, Thomas Hobbes, and John Lock challenge this assumption to a certain point, and familiarize their concerns about good government, order, and human nature. While many have argued that Machiavelli, Hobbes, and Locke are clearly distinguished from the ancient thinkers, this paper will argue that some of the ideas of Plato and Aristotle continued so for modern theorists. Primarily, this paper will recap the influences of Machiavelli, Hobbes, and Locke.
Locke and Hobbes both cover man in the state nature. They both agree that the laws of nature force man to consider one another equally, at least in terms of their life and possessions (Locke 5). Although, unlike Hobbes, Locke seemed less concerned that man would always be in war without a sovereign. Locke’s work also reads less cynically than Hobbes or Machiavelli’s work. While Locke agrees that men are born with liberty, the agency he gives to man is more vigorous than Hobbes understanding of mankind (Locke 4). One can get the impression that mankind is stuck between choosing the sovereign or suffering. Consensually, man chooses the sovereign, and man does this out of fear for his life. Locke is different than Machiavelli, because Machiavelli had no problems with hereditary rule, and Locke asserted that there were ten other men who could do the job with the same skill and wisdom. Even though the government’s job is to maintain order, stability, and provide protection, Locke’s work stresses that government also exists to protect the “life, liberty, and property” (Locke
The modern thinkers made several contributions to philosophy. First, the modern thinkers deal with man as he is and not how men ought to be. Second, the modern thinkers were the first to delve into individualism and accord in political life. Hobbes and Locke explore why people pursue government in the first place, even though Machiavelli does not cover this subject as much. This is considered to be the social contract theory, because citizens consent to be governed. Lastly, the modern thinkers’ biggest impact and difference from the ancients was their insistence that men were born