Preview

Differences Between Locke And Hobbes

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
386 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Differences Between Locke And Hobbes
The big differences that I noticed between Locke’s State of Nature and Hobbes’ State of Nature were that they both had different outlooks on the meaning of State of War and on people’s reaction to and with government. Locke believed that State of Nature is not equivalent to State of War whereas Hobbes made it seem that a State of Nature isn’t a safe place. Hobbes descried a State of Nature to be more violent and a state that people should fear. Locke’s view was more neutral compared to Hobbes’ idea. From what I read, it seemed that Locke believed the State of Nature to be kind of crazy, but this craziness isn’t good or bad. When Hobbes’ talked about government he talked mostly about how people think about themselves before others. People will

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    At first sight, Locke’s The Second Treatise of Government, seemed quite similar to Hobbes’s Leviathan. They both believed that a state of nature is a state that exist without government. They believe that men are created equal in this state, however Hobbes argues that because of self-preservation, man possessed the desire to control over other man. Locke, on the other hand, reasons with a more peaceful and pleasant place.…

    • 789 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    After analyzing how Locke and Hobbes understand the state of nature it is evident that they share many ideas but they also show essential differences in their ideas. Hobbes regards the state of nature as a state of war, in which natural law is established only after a process of reasoning. This process leads men to the conclusion that they must somehow find…

    • 397 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    For Hobbes, the need of an outright power, as a Sovereign, took after from the utter ruthlessness of the State of Nature. The State of Nature was totally grievous, thus objective men would will to submit themselves even to outright power with a specific end goal to escape it. For John Locke, 1632-1704, the State of Nature is an altogether different sort of spot, thus his contention concerning the social contract and the way of men's relationship to power are subsequently entirely distinctive. While Locke uses Hobbes' methodological gadget of the State of Nature, as do for all intents and purposes all social contract scholars, he utilizes it to a very distinctive end. Locke's contentions for the social contract, and for the privilege of residents…

    • 152 Words
    • 1 Page
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    The first being the state of nature as defined by Thomas Hobbes is that of a pre-societal state. In general terms this means there would be no government or any form of laws, leading citizens towards a constant state of war. As a result of this, people would be motivated solely by self interest, and would not have any regards towards others needs. This relates to a lecture on Zombies and Sociology given by Dr. Peters. Dr. Peter’s pointed out the fact that society begins to fail as a whole when its institutions breakdown. Government, the economy, religion, education, media and family are all institutions of society. In a Hobbesian state of nature it is likely that very few of these intuitions would continue to stand, the first to go being government and economy. It is also worth noting that in a Hobbesian state of nature, individuals are motivated to act out of fear, which Professor Gillard mentioned in his lecture. This explains why people act only to meet their personal needs, they are so blinded by fear that they fail to rationalize the needs of others. Locke takes a different approach when it comes to defining the state of nature, which places more emphasis on…

    • 2405 Words
    • 10 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Better Essays

    Hobbes vs Locke

    • 1466 Words
    • 6 Pages

    Both Hobbes and Locke shared similarities within their political theories; however their theories also had some major differences. Both men were responding to the crisis of the 17th century and they were highly influenced by the scientific revolution. Hobbes and Locke rejected all previous theories regarding human nature. They used the same methodology, and the men accepted an atomistic view of society. They believed that individuals were rational and were motivated by self-interest. Hobbes and Locke traced their theories from a state of nature to the social contract. They agreed that the legitimacy of the government rested on the consent of the governed. Together, both men rejected legitimate political authorities such as Divine Right of Kings, brute force, historical tradition, and feudal contracts. Both political philosophers offered interesting arguments pertaining to government, human nature, and the state of nature.…

    • 1466 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Locke and Hobbes

    • 230 Words
    • 1 Page

    How does the founders' view of power affect the framers' reactions to John Locke? According to Locke, how does man enter the political society and what is the purpose of that society? What obligations does the government have in the civil society? What obligation does the individual have? How do Hobbes and Locke differ? Do you think Americans would agree with Locke? You may read the first paragraphs of the Declaration of Independence to assist you. What evidence do you have to support your view?…

    • 230 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    Thomas Hobbes and John Locke were very different Enlightenment philosophers.They had many similarities and differences on what form of government they should form for the people.For example Thomas Hobbes believed in a powerful government,and John Locke believed in a limited government where the government should protect the people’s natural rights. Both of these philosophers were seventeen century enlightenment thinkers.Thomas Hobbes and John Locke had very different points of view on how the government should be formed for the people.…

    • 539 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    Hobbes vs. Locke

    • 2028 Words
    • 9 Pages

    Locke, John, and C. B. Macpherson. Second Treatise of Government. Indianapolis, IN: Hackett Pub., 1980. N. pag. Print.…

    • 2028 Words
    • 9 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Locke vs Hobbes

    • 4270 Words
    • 18 Pages

    The concept of human security, which has had a crucial place in human's societal history, has been argued over by many great philosophers throughout mankind’s existence. Two pioneer thinkers of political philosophy, Thomas Hobbes and John Locke, theorized state of nature typologies, which are the core of social contract theory, and created a concept of modern security, even in the 17th century. Hobbes created a contract entrusting absolute power to the sovereign, which thrived off of the individual's duty and responsibilities to the government. Contrary to Hobbes, Locke recognized the secure relationship between individuals' rights and liberties and the role of the sovereign. These two philosophers revolutionized liberal thinking in the height of the enlightenment age in which many philosophers questioned and argued over the relationship between the state and the individual. Hobbes and Locke, two brilliant thinkers, are notorious for being the founders of social contract liberalism. Before one can look at each philosopher’s social contract, we must first define what separated their thinking from the standard at that time, and what actually made them liberal thinkers. There had been one way of thinking in governmental rule for thousands of years which had been formed around the tyrannical ideals of hereditary privilege, absolute monarchy, and the Divine Right of Kings. These governmental ideals, which extremely lacked rights for the individual, had been spread all over the world for thousands of years and throughout many empires. What made Locke and Hobbes such liberal thinkers, was their ideas of a mutual relationship between the individual and the state. This was a mutual contract in which both parties had an agreement where they could coincide, benefit, and enforce the liberal ideals of liberty, equality, and justice. Now one must dive into both philosophers proposed social contract, to get a…

    • 4270 Words
    • 18 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    Locke vs Hobbes

    • 395 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Locke believed that, “human behavior came from thought which was learned and subject to the influence of reason and observation.” Locke’s main ideas were positive to the human race. He also states that humans know right from wrong, and they are intelligent enough to solve the problems in front of them and realizing what is lawful and unlawful. Locke believed, “God created man and we were, in effect, God’s property.”…

    • 395 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Thomas & Locke

    • 513 Words
    • 3 Pages

    The one great similarity between Thomas Hobbes’ state of nature and John Locke’s state of nature is that they both discuss how dangerous a state of nature can actually be. Both suggest that men are equals in this state with Hobbes stating “Nature hath made men so equal, in the faculties of body and mind, as that though there be found one man sometimes manifestly stronger in body, or of quicker mind than another; yet when all is reckoned together, the difference between man and man is not so considerable.” Likewise, Locke describes this nature as a “state of perfect equality, where naturally there is no superiority or jurisdiction of one over another.” Despite thinking alike in this way, however, Locke and Hobbes warn of the risk of the state of nature. Hobbes so states, “if any two men cannot enjoy the same thing, they become enemies and in the way to their end…endeavor to destroy or subdue one another.” Similarly, Locke points out these risks, saying that without the “law of nature,” man may make decisions that lead to a state of war.…

    • 513 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    Hobbes and Locke

    • 658 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Thomas Hobbes and John Locke both sought to explain the behavior of humans in the purest form. In comparing and contrasting their theories, one begins to realize the extent to which these philosophers agreed and disagreed. While Hobbes states that human nature is malicious and requires a sovereign, Locke explains how humans are benelovant and pastoral with no motivation to advance.…

    • 658 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Locke and Hobbes

    • 463 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Locke and Hobbes disagree almost entirely on everything. I would say that Locke thinks of human nature as essentially good while Hobbes views it as essentially evil. Furthermore, for Hobbes people leave a state of nature for security, as they are driven by year. For Locke, however, the driving force is possessions and material wealth: we will live better if we form a society instead of living separately in a state of nature. I think their philosophy is different because of they background and also they were born in different period of time. Hobbes lived during several wars, and thus his philosophy is central on control and man as essentially greedy and evil. On the other hand, Locke lived in a more perseveres and peaceful time, and therefore his philosophy puts man into a better perseveres. A person history and perseveres influences how they think that is why agree with Locke. Locke and Hobbes both agree on the basic ideas of the state of nature, but for them the state of nature is different. The difference between them is that Locke said that man is by nature a social animal and for Hobbes man is not by nature social. Locke and Hobbes would agree that to rule a country it is necessary to have laws and government. However, Locke would disagree with Hobbes’ ideas of the monarchic rule. For Hobbes a king is the only one who can make the laws and decide for the people. While Hobbes would say the monarchic rule is the best way of ruling a country because people need to be ruled by someone. I like the philosophy of Locke because he is right in many ways by saying the best way to rule a country is to have a legislative government rather than a monarchic government. For example, The United States of America, The Dominican Republic and Brazil have legislative governments while North Korea and Cuba do not. Therefore, because of the way these countries are ruled and how the people can be free and choose they leaders in some ways, I would agree with Locke on his ideas and…

    • 463 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Thomas Hobbes and John Locke were philosophers from the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. The two men both had very strong views on freedom and how a country should be governed. Their view points are famous for contrasting one another. Hobbes has more of a pessimistic view on freedom while Locke’s opinions are more optimistic.…

    • 2171 Words
    • 9 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    property and to a certain extent liberty. Thus, they must agree to establish society by…

    • 2518 Words
    • 13 Pages
    Good Essays