For the past many years, people have been trying to figure out the relationship between the government and nature of man. The theories of Thomas Hobbes, John Locke and Jean Jacques Rousseau about the connection between nature of man and the government have been debated for many years. These three philosophers have remarkably influenced the way our system works today. Although each theory had its flaws and merits, Jean Jacques Rousseau’s theory is superior in comparison to Thomas Hobbes and John Locke.…
I believe the decision of the people, equality, and freedom of speech are the most vital features of a democracy. The majority of the people’s opinions are expressed through modern democracy and implemented on the society.…
Alexander Hamilton stated, “It has been observed that a pure democracy if it were practicable would be the most perfect government. Experience has proved that no position is more false than this. The ancient democracies in which the people themselves deliberated never possessed one good feature of government. Their very character was tyranny; their figure deformity.” A democracy, also known as a republican government, has been implemented in many societies. It grants every citizen their voice and furthers political equality amongst all. It supports our decision…
One of these people, Voltaire, preferred democracy as their Method of rule. In document 4 Voltaire expressed his thoughts on leadership “the best government seems to be that in which all ranks of men are equally protected by the laws….” This philosopher is trying to convey his beliefs on democracy and this will get citizens to question the churches methods in the future. The same can be said about document 5, another philosopher john Locke, wrote about his ideas. Both john and Voltaire share the same ideas on government: this is a quote from johns Two Treatises on Government “Men being by nature all free, equal, and independent no one can be subjected to the political power of another without his consent” in this quote he wants the system of government to be centered around the people,…
After many years of absolute monarchy different philosophers, leaders, and writers idealized new forms of government to create the age of Enlightenment. Important Pre-Enlightenment people such as Queen Elizabeth,Thomas Hobbes, King Louis XIV, and Plato believed that the most successful way to run a country was with a single ruler. The philosophers and the leaders of the Enlightenment era believed that providing citizens with independence and freedom was the best way for a country to thrive and succeed.…
After explaining how the state of nature evolved into civil society when people began to rely on each other for resources, Rousseau concluded that the social contact that made civil society possible is more important that the individuals who created it. Although civil society created inequality, it also created freedom, morality, and rationality, which make people human. On the other hand, Locke explained that the state of nature evolved into civil society because people wanted to protect their property and liberties. He concluded that civil society exists to benefit the people; if the present government fails to do so it should be overthrown.…
With the exception of Athenian democracy and Rome during its republican era, mankind, insofar as them being subject to government control, for most of its history has been constrained and dominated by monarchical rule. This classical form of antagonistic dominion has consisted of the tyranny of self-proclaimed (and therefore illegitimate) sovereigns over a class of subjects. However, this system of power has undergone a fundamental transformation as representative democracies have superseded over monocratic bodies. The magnitude and import of this shift can be regarded as progressive, because it is grounded on the belief that a political institution can sustain an orderly society, while simultaneously preserving the liberties and equalities of individuals. John Locke and Alexis de…
In a democracy peoples thoughts were heard and used in a government. This government was significant, because it didn't put to much rule in the government. King Louis believed that the peoples interest and the state came first and believed in a democracy.(doc3) Voltaire also recommends a democracy and thought that freedom of speech was essential.(doc4) Voltaire was one of the most famous philosophies thinkers who defended all freedoms of people especially freedom of speech. Even when he offended government and the Catholic Church and his books were burned he still stuck up for freedom of speech and he said "I do not agree with a word that you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it", he…
In favor of Hobbes, he does make several valid points. His theory in regards to constant competition applies to this day, as people constantly find themselves in situations where they meet others that are of equal physical strengths and could be faced with a conflict as a result. Despite the points that Hobbes makes, his theory is overall negative, as living in a constant state of fear and paranoia is absolutely no way to live one’s life. Rousseau is very pertinent to remind others of how life was before society and technology took over. Life was extremely simple, and everyone was fairly alright with living alone and focusing on themselves and their life. If today’s society was the same as it was over a thousand years ago, almost no one would…
Even though absolutism was the most effective form of government during the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries many rulers believed in democracy. Democracy is when the people of the government have a say in what goes on in the government. Some…
In a democracy, people choose their leaders by voting, and everyone is treated equally. Democracy revolves around rule by the majority. In my opinion, colonial America was on its way to democracy, but far from being a true democratic society. Only a small portion of the people were able to make the decisions, so government did not revolve around the majority.…
Rousseau’s beliefs express fear that education will create unequal differences between the sexes. If women become educated, would the social order of perhaps housewives still exist? According to Rousseau, education should be given to all men so the government does not overpower the individual. He also believed that women should not be educated. ““Educate one like men.” Says Rousseau, “and the more they resemble our sex the less power will they have over us.””(Wollstonecraft, 191-194). Although it is not guaranteed, if women become educated they have the ability to overpower men.…
The enlightenment era, can be said, produced some of the most critical ideas that clearly impacted the development of democracy. This intellectual period that roughly lasted from the 17th to the 18th century is responsible for producing some of the most brilliant political philosophers. Amongst these philosophers and philosophes were political revolutionaries such as Voltaire, Jean-Jacques Rousseau, Cesare Baccaria, Baron de Montesquieu, David Hume, and John Locke. The ideas they promoted and would later be adopted by flourishing democracies included the individual’s freedom of expression and religion by Voltaire, the separation of powers and checks and balances by Montesquieu, rights in the field of criminal justice by Baccaria, federalism by David Hume, and the idea of natural rights by John Locke. One of the most critical enlightenment ideas that contributed greatly to the understanding of the role of government was Rousseau’s social contract. This idea was viewed and generally accepted by many contemporary philosophers and seen as genuine and practical. According to Rousseau, legitimate political authority comes only from a Social Contract agreed upon by all citizens for their mutual preservation. The collective grouping of all citizens, or the “sovereign” he states, expresses the general will that aims for the common good. Thomas Paine further explains this point in his essay Rights of man (1791) by writing that government is not a compact between those who govern and those who are governed, but instead it is a compact between the individuals themselves to produce a government.1 According to both, the general will finds its clearest expression in the general and abstract laws of the state2. Furthermore John Locke viewed the Social Contract as a form of giving legitimacy to a government only through the consent of those whom it governs and that the objective of the government is to protect the individual’s natural rights. Paine further explains that a…
In his Gettysburg Address, Abraham Lincoln called democracy “government of the people, by the people and for the people.” It means that we are not here to serve our government, but that our government is here to serve us — and we have the right to decide who will represent us and how we want to be represented. It means that we have one of the greatest rights any free people can have: the right to vote.…
Democracy has many key things that make it a very strong government such as freedom, voicing opinions, and the right to vote. When having all the governments side by side Democracy stands out as being the best one, and should be…