Thomas Hobbes And John Locke s Political Theories Essay

Analyzing Thomas Hobbes and John Locke’s Political Theories and Justifying if these Governmental Officials Have Legitimate Reason To Hold Secrets from the Public Systems of government across the globe are utilized to various extents. Similarly to John Locke’s vision of government, the United States stands by a system of representative democracy. This means that our government highly values that the people of a society hold the power of where the direction of their state goes through electing officials. In Locke’s book, Two Treatises, he states that if a government official extends their power in any way, other than to better citizens’ lives, then the people have the right to replace those elected into power (77). However, Thomas Hobbes, in The Leviathan, explains that it is human nature to always have self-interest in mind. Hobbes confirms that even though he is open to representative democracy or having multiple officials lead as an assembly, due to human nature getting in the way, having more than a single governmental official ruling the state as a monarch is not ideal. Hillary Clinton, and her use of private emails, i s a modern example that conceptualizes these two theories of Locke and Hobbes. The two philosophers, Locke and Hobbes, would approach this situation in two parallel ways. From Locke’s belief of allowing the people of the state to hold the overall power, he would suggest to first evaluate to see if the intentions of Clinton were strictly for the good of theShow MoreRelatedJohn Locke And Thomas Hobbes1287 Words   |  6 PagesIn order to run a proper political system, one must know how to balance and consider the nature of humankind and their rights. John Locke and Thomas Hobbes were both political philosophers who developed theories about how the government should work. They set up their theories around The Natural Law and the Social Contract Theory. Although John Locke and Thomas Hobbes had a similar goal, their beliefs and opinions were definitely not the same. John Locke and Thomas Hobbes both believed in the NaturalRead MoreThomas Hobbes And John Locke1346 Words   |  6 PagesContracts Thomas Hobbes and John Locke were two English political philosophers, who have had a lasting impact on modern political science. Thomas Hobbes and John Locke both spent much of their lives attempting to identify the best form of government. Locke and Hobbes were among the most prominent of theorists when it came to social contract and human rights. A Social Contract is an agreement among the members of a society to cooperate for social benefits. Thomas Hobbes and John Locke, are the twoRead MoreEssay On John Locke And Thomas Hobbes1076 Words   |  5 Pages John Locke and Thomas Hobbes John Locke and Thomas Hobbes, two English Enlightenment philosophers, were both very influential politically and philosophically despite having almost opposite beliefs. While each individually influenced later documents and events such as the Declaration of Independence and the American Revolution, they had an equally big impact in history. Today, everyone recognizes natural rights and the modern system of government uses social contracts every day. Thomas HobbesRead MoreThe Social Contract Theories Of Thomas Hobbes And John Locke1210 Words   |  5 PagesMahogany Mills Professor: Dr. Arnold Political Philosophy 4 February 2015 Compare and contrast the social contract theories of Thomas Hobbes and John Locke In the beginning of time, there was no government to regulate man. This caused a burden on society and these hardships had to be conquered, which is when a social contract was developed. The social contract theory is a model that addresses the questions of the origin of society and the legitimacy of the authority of the state over an individualRead MoreThomas Hobbes and John Locke Essay1020 Words   |  5 PagesHobbes and Locke John Locke and Thomas Hobbes were famous political Theorists among other things in their time. Hobbes who was born 40 years before Locke had a very different perspective to Locke and both will be examined more through this essay. Even though many of there theories were different in the sixteenth century Hobbes and Locke s theories became closer as the rise of the state and decline of the feudal system brought about the question of authority. Read MoreThe American Constitution And The Bill Of Rights1463 Words   |  6 Pagesand thoughts of the philosophes, specifically John Locke. Thomas Hobbes and John Locke were both English philosophers,influential thinkers of the seventeenth century, both had confidence in a Social Contract and they both distributed books that were generally perused. Thomas Hobbes talked about and built up the social contract hypothesis through his book Leviathan. The social contract hypothesis was later bolstered and translated encourage by John Locke. This hypothesis which was essential to theRead MoreJohn Locke And Thomas Hobbes886 Words   |  4 Pagesassigned one can discuss the differences in political theories expressed by both John Locke and Thomas Hobbes. In, Leviathan, by Thomas Hobbes, and in, The Second Treatise of Government, by John Locke different theories of political legitimacy and definitions of the state of nature are described. The following paragraphs analyze multiple different points that are imperative to understanding these political theories. In the reading, Leviathan, Thomas Hobbes discusses what human existence is in theRead MoreJohn Locke s The Second Treatise Of Civil Government977 Words   |  4 PagesMadeline Boche Dr. Thorn Philosophy 1301.040 24 March 2017 John Locke’s The Second Treatise of Civil Government In John Locke’s The Second Treatise of Civil Government, Locke discusses what the moral state of nature is and rejects the idea of a â€Å"divine right of kings.† John Locke was a product of the best schools in England and had a heavy impact on Western thought through his writings. As a Christ Church graduate, Locke largely discusses in his writings the state of nature, the concept of naturalRead MoreEssay on What is the Function of a Social Contract?1637 Words   |  7 PagesPhilosophers have been concerned with the theories of a social contract for thousands of years. Plato mentions the concept in Crito and in Republic. These theories have stemmed from the concept of justice and for our society to be just. I will look at the works of Thomas Hobbes, John Locke, Jean Jacques Rousseau and finally with John Rawls after which a overall view into the function of a social contract can be derived as well as any problems with the theory(s). The basic concept of a social contractRead MoreSocial Contract Theory On The Origin Of State1110 Words   |  5 PagesSOCIAL CONTRACT THEORY Introduction: The social contract theory is one of the oldest theories on the origin of state. This theory came into existence as a reaction against the divine origin theory. The term ‘social’ is something which is connected with the society, while ‘contract’ means an agreement between two or more people. Thus a term of political theory, ‘social contract’ implies an agreement that makes society possible .this theory holds that the state is the voluntary and deliberate agreement