John Locke And Thomas Hobbes

The State of Nature is a concept that has been discussed by social contract theorists for many years. Both John Locke and Thomas Hobbes completed competing versions in their writings, Two Treatises of Government and Leviathan. While each differs substantially, both theorists were looking to understand and justify human nature. It is my argument that Hobbes depiction of the state of nature is more accurate because it takes into account a human beings are, at their core, selfish creatures. This paper is going to argue that between the theorists, Thomas Hobbes and John Locke, Hobbes presents a more accurate portrayal of The State of Nature. The State of Nature can be described as the hypothetical conditions of what the life of people might have …show more content…
He went to study at Oxford, graduated in 1608, and made several voyages to learn from his philosophical colleagues. In 1640, Hobbes fled to Paris as Parliament and King Charles I moved closer to civil war. In this time, he watched politics develop in his home country, returning in 1651. This return lead to his most famous political work, Leviathan. Hobbes’ view of human nature was shaped largely by the English Civil War. He considered this time to be as chaotic and close to a State of Nature as possible. For Hobbes, the State of Nature can be represented by the “war of every man against every man.” This leaves man in a constant cycle of competition because every individual has the natural right to everything, no matter who is involved. Hobbes created laws that exist with the idea of …show more content…
In a time without a structured society or government, many would come in contact with others who are selfish. These people would oftentimes be prepared to use violence or force to obtain the outcomes that they wish for. In a state of nature, those selfish men would be entitled to think killing of their opposition would be right. The problem among people wouldn't be the lack of morals, rather the differences among each person's moral compass. If we do not heed Hobbes’s teachings and fail to respect existing political authority, than the natural condition and its horrors of war await us (Williams, 2002). Hobbes state of nature is one that is meant to be a powerful and deadly threat, preventing the natural violent tendencies of mankind. Those who are opposed believe that a person's judgement and reasonable sense would prevent an uproar. The issue being that the different morals, judgements, and violent tendencies among people is what would cause an uproar in the first