Oppression Of Society In Thomas Hobbes, By John Locke

When considering the guidelines for humanity, philosophers and leaders alike come to unravel the fabric of society by constructing a system that is tailored towards preserving liberty. The political philosopher John Locke helps to bring to light the nature of humanity and how it can be structured around a social contract. This contract would enable individuals certain rights by allowing government officials to enforce a law that protects members of society from being oppressed or denied freedom. I admire the virtues in which Locke fights for; namely, the right to life, liberty, and owning property. These essential virtues, when under the political structure of Locke’s philosophy, helps society from being oppressed by a tyrannical government …show more content…
Hobbes would best undermine my values because in his view, the government’s command is to be obeyed at all times and they can essentially do anything they want. This would be troubling because society would have to obey the governments commands regardless of how bad it is and there would be no supervision of people and their rights, but instead a leader with power that does whatever he wants, which can lead to a tyrannical government. The threat of society being negatively controlled by a tyrannical leader would confiscate the virtues of liberty, the right to life, and the right to property because the government can restrict citizens in any way they desire as well as take property as they see fit. The oppression that would manifest would depreciate the lives of people and the essential virtues of Locke’s political philosophy would be lost in the power of the government. On another note, the individuals discussed above would do worse under Hobbes’s political system because they would all be directed to endure tasks that would serve as a sacrifice, rather than an improvement. For instance, the government can take away land without a valid reason, or could have someone murdered, simply because the leader commands so. Hobbes claims that society has to obey its government at all times. This would create tension and oppression with individuals a, b, c and d. As Young states, “The powerless are those who lack authority or power even in this mediated sense, those over whom power is exercised without their exercising it; the powerless are situated so that they must take orders and rarely have the right to give them” (Young 52). This quote helps illustrate the weaknesses that becomes the structure of one’s will, especially individuals a, b, and c because they will not have the necessary power to exercise their will, but