Throughout history, many people have had very different ideas about how governments should be run. Of those many people, four had very important ideas about government. Those four people were Charles de Secondat Baron de Montesquieu, Jean Jacques Rousseau, Thomas Hobbes, and John Locke. Montesquieu believed that laws were necessary but varied for each area for their own conditions; Rousseau believed in self directed law and freedom through giving themselves to others; Hobbes also believed that laws were necessary but that mankind could not thrive if they lived in a world of war; and John Locke expounded that laws should only be created with the consent of the people and that a man truly can’t sign away his life. These influential philosophers …show more content…
This meant that laws were necessary, but not that we all had to abide by the same ones. In his document The Spirit of the Laws he wrote about his ideas on government. He stated that there were laws based human reason and what each area needed based on their own circumstances. The laws where human reason is applied in each nation should be only for their circumstances and needs. He continued on to talk about political liberty. He believed political liberty can only happen when there is not abuse of power, but every man with power tends to abuse it. Judicial, legislative, and executive powers must be separate for liberty as well. Though Montesquieu believed political liberty was ideal, he did not discriminate against other forms of …show more content…
He made this evident in The Leviathan. In this document, Hobbes wrote about how men were more equal than they realized, although from this equality came the same longing for attaining our goals. However, when two people long the same thing, it can lead to war. When there is war, Hobbes claims, there is no place for productive labor, thus leading to Earth losing culture. There is no society, no arts, no account of time, no more exports over sea. Although, Hobbes says the worst part of war is the continuous fear and the danger of violent death. He believes war ruins mankind. In Two Treatises on Government, John Locke stated that societal rules and laws should be created by the consent of the people through a trusted legislature. No laws should be permitted if the people do not agree to it. In this work John Locke also proclaimed that one cannot obtain someone else’s power unless the power is given or forfeited, such as through death. He viewed slavery as a war due to it not being consensual. No man can truly sign his own life
John was the most influential political philosopher of the modern period. John wrote the two treatises of government in which he defended the claims that men are by nature “free and equal against claims that God had made all people naturally subject to monarchy” (). He also, argued that the people did have rights, such as, the right to life, liberty, and property, in which they have a foundation independent of the laws of any particular society. Locke also claimed that men are naturally free and equal as part of jurisdiction for understanding legitimate political government. Apparently, the government exists by the consent of the people and, that is in order to protect the rights of the people and promote the public good, for that reason if the government fails it can be resisted and replaced with a new government.
John Locke also believed that government should protect people's natural rights and people can revolt if the government fails or tries to take away peoples natural rights which were life, liberty and property. (doc5) Locke also wrote the 2 treaties of government where he argued that people form government to protect natural rights and the best kind of government had limited power and was accepted by all citizens. Montesquieu also believed that democracy was the best form of government and thought that the best way to protect liberty was to have the three branches of government legislative-creates laws, judicial-interprets laws and executive-enforces laws.(doc 6) He came up with the concept checks and balances which made sure that none of the branches of government had to much power, because they would watch over each other. In a book The Spirit of Laws he explained how he thought that this was the best government and how it was better than other governments throughout history and was a great way to protect liberty. Another ruler who believed that democracy was the best form of government as Rousseau. He believed that people in there natural state were mostly good. He put his faith in the "general will", and believed that the majority of the people should set forth their ideas about government. He put his ideas about society into the social contract.
During the Enlightenment it was thought political power should be divided between different classes and the laws of a government should not urge any man or women to rebel. The philosopher Montesquieu thought to in order to avoid tyrant, you needed to not have laws and rules that restrain the people too much.“A government may be constituted, as no man shall be compelled to do things at which the law does not oblige him.” In society today, our laws are made and enforced so no one should feel confined but also people feel safe and protected. Montesquieu also thought that the way to prevent abuse was to separate governmental
Locke’s writing helped inspired many, but impacted mostly the western philosophy (“John Locke: Biography.”) In Locke’s milestone, Two Treatises of Government claimed his revolutionary viewpoint, the natural rights of man and the social contract (“James Harrington Encyclopedia.”) Both impression not only overwrought in England, but also encounter the cognoscenti that formed the later American French Revolution. At the time of England’s downfall, Locke became involved in creating a clear objective for the government. Locke believed the government should be limited and should protect the life, property, and liberty of citizens. Locke wanted a government that met the needs of the people, which is what the makers of the constitution took into account when they set up the legislative branch. The legislative branch is made up of the Senate and House of Representatives. Locke was a long time influence of America, especially when he said “being all equal
John Locke argued for individual freedom. If we had individual freedom we would have a strong government. Locke said it was necessary to a good government. Locke wrote “People are naturally free and have the right to maintain their freedom.”(Document A) To keep this freedom people needed to construct a government that has both an executive and a legislature. To Locke a government created by the people was the best government in his futuristic sense of
Though Locke, Machiavelli, Rousseau and Hobbes all represented varying opinions on human nature and its relationship to government, each of them contributed groundwork for present-day political theories. And while each philosopher shared common concepts in philosophy, the parallels in politics and government were quite
A well known political philosopher named John Locke provided new ideas of government to the colonies. Locke thinks that a society should run under a social contract, which makes citizens, “give up all the power necessary to the ends for which they unite a society” (Doc A). This idea of a united society lets people have a say in the way the government runs. Before independence, Great Britain executed orders without any say from the people.
Drug abuse is obviously a huge issue in our country, but how would Hobbes and Rousseau’s opinions differ on it? Hobbes talks about individual self interests and punishment. Rousseau talks about education and socialization. The both believe however that the sovereign should decide these laws
Government is built on the premises of the established ideas of former politicians and then the new outlooks of recent politicians. All ideas on government are based on the structure and laws of former civilizations. Thus, many politicians can have similar viewpoints on government due to basing their ideas on the same former structures. But, in contrast new government structures include a variety of variations. Therefore, Jean Domat, Montesquieu and Jean Jacques Rousseau have major differences in their outlooks on government, but they do share similar aspects.
What is the ideal city? Piero believes that he’s captured it in his piece, Ideal City. But how is his piece perceived through the eyes of a couple of philosophers? Those two philosophers are Thomas Hobbes and Jean-Jacques Rousseau.
Locke believed that people are willing to unite under a form of government to preserve their lives, liberty, and estate. Since natural law is already good, government not only preserves natural law, but also works to enhance it.
1. Compare and contrast Hobbes and Locke on political power? In answering this question explain Locke’s argument against Hobbes’s understanding of “paternal” and despotical power.
John Locke and Jean-Jacques Rousseau are great political philosophers that have many similar insights about society and its political form. However, when closely examining the writings of these thinkers, one can easily discover many subtle differences among them. The two philosophers base their theories on different assumptions, which subsequently lead to dissimilar ideas about the origin of society and the constitution of governments. As a result, their views of the development of society greatly dissent from each other. Locke's and Rousseau's different versions in the development of society cause them to reach disparate conclusions concerning the legislative power, social unit, and revolution rights of the society. Locke believes that
John Locke argues that people deserve life, liberty, and property which are all an essential part of the social contract. The government needs to guard individuals’ lives and safeguard the freedom of prosperity and impose laws that are structured to reward efforts which improve society economically. Locke’s Contractual Theory of Government says that people must willingly do things like pay taxes and serve in the military, but in return, the government had to listen to their desires and provide for their needs. John Locke’s philosophy is one that we are all familiar with because his ideas were used in our Constitution by our founding fathers. According to the United States Senate, “We the
Human nature and its relevance in determining behaviors, predictions, and conclusions has caused dispute among philosophers throughout the ages. Political philosophy with its emphasis on government legitimacy, justice, laws, and rights guided the works of the 17th and 18th century philosophical writings of Thomas Hobbes and Jean-Jacques Rousseau. Through Thomas Hobbes world-renowned publication Leviathan and Rousseau’s discourses on basic political principals and concepts, each man validated their thoughts on human nature and what is required for a successful society within their respective government confines. The distinct differences between Hobbes and Rousseau’s opinions on the natural state of man frame the argument of the different