John Locke And The Social Contract Theory

Hobbes views is very practical about the nature of man. Society needs to be protected and the state can ensure this by using force. Locke says that can be avoided by man living together in peace and there should be an elected person on behalf of the society. If this fails, then the leader should step down. He says that the elected leader and the society should work together for a common goal. In a such a case the state must not dominate and they must be more active with the society. Rousseau clearly says that all men should give up their absolute freedom for the common good and welfare of the

Locke and Hobbes started with a central notion that people with similar “state of nature” would on their own accord come together as a state. Locke believed that individual would not perpetually be at war with each other. He believed humans began with a state of natural characteristics of absolute freedom with no government in site. Hobbes work differs from that of Locke’s because he felt people needed a strong central authority to ward off the inherent evil and anarchic state of man. Locke believed that within the state of nature man would have stronger morals and thus limit their actions. Locke also, credited people with the ability to do the right thing within a group. And the natural rights and civil society where Hobbes differentiated with this by believing that people had to resolve their natural rights and the their were privileges granted by the sovereign. Locke believed the relationship between citizens and government took the form of a social contract, in which in exchange for order and protections provided by institutions the citizens agree to surrender some of the freedoms within the state of nature. This was also, agreed that power of the state was not absolute but exercised according to law. If broken by the state it forfeits and the contract becomes void. This allots for the citizens of the state to have a “voice” and power for change to replace the government with moral obligation by the governed. Hobbes believed absolute power was the price man should

While both men believe that the good in human nature is maintained through some higher form of governing, Locke has trust and confidence in the good of man and believes in limited monarchy, whereas Hobbes promotes a tough sovereign-led government to avoid a continuous state of war.

Locke seems to build upon Hobbes' ideals describing within the law of Nature, all men are equal and are in a state of perfect freedom to order their own actions. However, it seems Locke clearly understands mans desire for more and temptation to violate human rights of others for personal gain and therefore, inevitable disputes in which life, liberty, and property are in question, laws are established to protect and uphold ones rights. Locke divulges further by stating the law of nature confirms every one has a right to punish transgressors of law to such a degree in which it may hinder violations, preserve the innocent and restrain offenders (Newton, 2004). This is where Locke separates himself from Hobbes theories. Locke concedes punishment only to a degree whereas will hinder a transgressor and only restrain an offender. This should not be confused with Hobbes philosophy of an individual having the right to pass judgement and decide a transgressors fate, once a perceived threat has been subdued. Locke's philosophy seems to indicate a vital importance to exhibit reason and tolerance; a law of morals, unlike Thomas Hobbes philosophical view of do as you please because it is your natural right. John Locke's law of morals set forth Thomas Jefferson's theory of revolution.

One of his most important views and one of the most well know and still followed by the government is the separation of powers sating that one branch cannot have all the power. The three branches are judicial, Legislative and the Executive branch being used in our government today. This was done through the system of checks and balances giving each branch the power o over right if any of them commit and injustice. Another influence left behind by Locke is that all humans need basic rights the once we are naturally born with such as life, liberty, property and the pursuit of happies. Hobbes impact of his philosophy was seen in the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution. Hobbes believed that all men deserved equality, he writes about not once single person must have more than another providing a foundation of equality in government. Yet this view help create the fourteen amendment, stopping any issue that denied a person under the

During the 1700s the American settlers suffered the abuses from their Mother England, and constantly fought through the rebellious spirit that lived within them. As their last hopes for independence dissolved by the greediness of the king, a man raised his voice, encouraging his subalterns to defend their freedoms. Richard Henry Lee proclaimed, “that these United Colonies are, and of right ought to be, free and independent States, and that all connections between them and the State of Great Britain is, and ought to be, dissolved”(29). The incentive had been brought to life again. Lee’s call for independence triggered debate among the delegates of the colonies

The American government has been greatly influenced by important philosophers from historic times. The Enlightenment was a time period consisting of a group of intellectuals who were of great importance, during the Enlightenment. These intelligent philosophers became curious and used logic and reason to form their ideas. The ideas from philosophers Thomas Hobbes, John Locke, Voltaire, Baron de Montesquieu, Jean-Jacques Rousseau, and Cesare Beccaria have acted as a foundation for the formation of the American government after the American Revolution. Philosophies from Locke and Hobbes have unquestionably impacted the way the modern American government works.

John Locke was an incredibly encouraging figure in the development of the ideals and methods of political functioning in the United States of America. John Locke applied many of his studies to write one of his most famous and moving works. “The Second Treatises of Government” is the document which ultimately struck the United States in their creation of the Declaration of Independence. In Locke’s work he had focused on the idea that governments shouldn’t be dictated by anyone person, but ultimately should be a united entity in which everyone in the country has a say in what is happening. For example, John Locke believed that the government should be in charge of deciding who should be the leading figure of power and protecting their citizens’ “Life, Liberty, and Property”. He also believed that if the government failed to fulfill their duties of protecting their people and establishing a limit of power for the leading figure of the country, it was the responsibility of the citizens to “overthrow the government.” John Locke kept a similar mindset to that of Hobbes when it comes to the government and its power. Locke’s work and ideas would go on to be highly influential upon Thomas Jefferson during the process of writing the draft of the Declaration of Independence. In this document Jefferson kept very close ties to Locke’s ideas to create what he believed would be the ideal government.

The philosophy of John Locke Creates a more stable society, than the philosophy of Thomas Hobbes, Because, John Locke held people to a high standard and said "they were logical enough to govern themselves,(Enlightenment). He identified three natural rights life, library, property. John Locke is an physician, and also a writer, he wrote many writings that influenced future leads like Thomas Jefferson, and Locke mostly know as one of the most influential of Enlightenment thinkers. Locke disagreed with Hobbes and absolutism and favored constitutional monarchy, which is where the kings power is limited and the people are represented by a legislature. With the philosophy of Locke's, the people will have more say and be more happy because instead

Our society is built off of the concept of a social contract by which the individuals who comprise the society give up certain freedoms in exchange for protection by the government. The government then has a duty to properly balance the conflicting freedoms of its various constituents and ensure that they can enjoy the maximum amount of freedom without interference from the government or from other individuals. Along with the social contract comes the concept of rule of law, an essential tenet of any structured society, whether free or not. In a perfect society, all laws would be constructed off of the social contract, and thus there would be no legitimate reason to oppose them as they would promote maximal freedom and justice. However,

John Locke and Thomas Hobbes each supported human instinct and government amid the seventeenth century. John Locke advanced a hopeful perspective of human instinct in which they lived under a legislature that ensured the privileges of the general population; Thomas Hobbes distributed his point of view of the human soul as negative, trusting the best way to battle its evilness by entire concealment under a flat out ruler.Locke had a positive perspective of human instinct, respected them in a condition of nature as animals of reason and fundamental goodwill. Locke censured abolitionism an administration that must be in charge of and receptive to the worries of the represented, enter the agreement to safeguard the common privileges of life, freedom, and property; the general population have the privilege to oust any administration who doesn 't carry out their employment

Both Thomas Hobbes and John Locke have impacted politics in a way that has affected how the world is today. These two individuals have shaped government as we now know it by introducing the idea of popular contract, which states that the government gets its power from the people.These two men are very similar in some ways. They were both educated men who believed that government is a necessity. However, they had very different views on life. Hobbes view was a darker view. He says that men form government as a method of self-preservation, that they are fearful for their lives, so they form a government as a means of protection. He believes that government is based on fear. Men who are scared to go into battle will go because they are more scared

However, they both believed that man needs a government in order to keep their country from falling apart. Also, each of them was able to impact society. While Hobbes impacted the English and French government at the time, who both had a monarchy, Locke's ideas influenced the United States Constitution. In sum, Locke and Hobbes were both brilliant philosophers who disagreed on core beliefs about human nature, society and government but each were able to influence the world around them and the

John Locke embraced many of the ideas presented by Hobbes in his theories on the state of nature and the rise of government. They differed however, in that Locke believed that God was the prime factor in politics. He believed that individuals were born with certain rights given not by government or society, but by God. This he said, is what gives all people equality.

Where Locke and Hobbes most obviously split is the issue of whether a social contract can be constructed to bind future generations. Hobbes believes in a self-perpetuating sovereign, one where “the disposing of the Successor, is alwaies left to the Judgment and Will of the present Possessor” (Hobbes 249). This, notably, is one rare area where Hobbes admits that democracies may have an advantage over his preferred monarchical system, as in a democracy “questions of the right of Succession, have in that forme of Government no place at all” (248). Hobbes still prefers monarchy for a variety of reasons, and so settles on the solution of providing several suggestions to ensure a peaceful succession, even in the