What Is The Difference Between John Locke And Thomas Hobbes

Improved Essays
The concept of the social contract theory has been the creation of one government with the people and a contract written with policies and laws but, if the government breaks the contract then the people has the right to make another new government with a new contract. This is a theory benefits citizens and people when government only works when they are protecting the humans rights. Thomas Hobbes theory was that people needed to be ruled by one, either a king or queen because they don’t know the good and bad of decisions and that if people get to do what they want then chaos will be released. Hobbes believed people had no rights and should be ruled by one which was called monarchy. Thomas believed that human needed government only for protection …show more content…
John Locke and Thomas Hobbes had very opposite theories. Thomas Hobbes idea was very different from the natural law but John Locke’s idea was close and similar to the natural law. Locke’s theory was the efficiency of getting what the people want. John Locke might have followed the philosophy of Thomas Hobbes and cooperated to a different theory but his theory is the better understanding of the nature of …show more content…
Each of the benchmarks has its own unique meaning which helps brings together a democratic society. The first benchmark of a democratic society is popular sovereignty. This is the benchmarks that defines that the government is controlled by what the people wants and to be successful in a democratic society it has to do what the majority of the people vote on. The people can decide and participate in the government for it to be a democratic society. The second benchmark is Government Leaders are selected in Competitive Elections. This benchmark means to be in a democratic society, the people have to choose a leader or a representative to represent them and lead the people the way they want. It is the compete of finding the leader who will listen to the people and often times what the leader does for the community and the people will effect this competition. The third benchmark is Elections are free and fair. This is the rule and law that allows any of the people are able to be a representative leader and officer and that the people are all allowed to vote for what they want and who they want. Also, the rule that voters are counted precisely and correctly and no election officials can put others higher or lower from others in the election. The fourth benchmark is people participate in the political process, meaning that for the democratic society to work people have to participate in the government process.

Related Documents

  • Improved Essays

    With that being said, it is society’s right to overthrow the government whenever they have evidence to do so. Locke’s idea of a social contract was very different than Hobbes’. According to Locke, life in the state of nature was filled with “peace, goodwill, mutual assistance, and preservation.” Locke strongly believed that because people were naturally moral, in a social contract, no competition or harm would be an issue.…

    • 909 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Decent Essays

    Hobbes beilved the goverment was to protect us from ourselves and Locke beilved it was to protect the natural rights. Hobbes beilved that the goverments power can not be limited and Locke beilved it…

    • 84 Words
    • 1 Pages
    Decent Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Although Locke and Hobbes disagreed about the nature of people, both of them made a point of stating that people had inalienable rights. Locke’s whole basis of philosophy was based on the belief that every human had natural rights, rights that existed…

    • 1238 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    In order to leave the state of nature individuals must consent to the social contract in order to form a commonwealth. For a social contract to be enacted all members of society must agree to give up certain rights provided in the state of nature to create a civil society that benefits them all. The commonwealth for all three signifies an impartial power which makes the final decisions concerning matters in civil society. For Hobbes the social contract is created because people live in fear that another will harm them in their quest for self-preservation. While Locke believes that a social contract is needed to create an impartial judge because men cannot be trusted not to take justice too far, once the common good is no longer at the forefront.…

    • 2006 Words
    • 9 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Chapter 22: Enlightenment and Revolution Assessment –Research Worksheet Directions: Completion of this worksheet is a required part of your assessment for this unit. Please type into this document and email it to your teacher in the same email as the Facebook profile. Thomas Hobbes Where was he born? Thomas Hobbes was born in Westport, in 5th April 1588.…

    • 1789 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    His similarities to Locke have much to do with the social contract theory, which he was also believed in. Despite this, the two theories differ fundamentally on why government has its place in society and how influential government can be. (p.15). Hobbes put a great emphasis on government, probably in part due to the era in which he lived. Hobbes did not quite live long enough to see the Enlightenment and the new ideals that shortly followed.…

    • 663 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Leah Schulz Professor Jennifer Hanson History 2- 81010 September 07, 2017 Hobbes vs. Locke Both, Hobbes and Locke, were known as social contract theorists as well as natural law theorists. Hobbes is well known for writing Leviathan and Locke is well known for writing Treatises on Government. However, they are different in regards to their stand and conclusions in several laws of nature. Thomas Hobbes was an English philosopher from Malmesbury. He first started rising to fame when his book Leviathan, laid the foundation of Western political philosophy.…

    • 992 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    “For a while, the constraints of civilized society keep things peaceful, but soon their system unravels into brutal chaos” (Pojman, 67-68), this is an excerpt that Pojman discussed pertaining to the novel Lord of the Flies, written by William Golding. This quote exemplifies Thomas Hobbes idea on the state of nature and how there can be no structure and stability without a governing force. Another philosopher that challenges Hobbes’ ideas is John Locke, who believes humans would be capable of keeping stability and structure without the social contract to the government. I will prove how Hobbes’ idea is significantly better than Locke’s theory by talking about equality, liberty, rights and morality. I completely agree with Thomas Hobbes and how humans would be incapable of governing themselves which is why we need social structure.…

    • 1260 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Hobbes and Locke are both social contract theorists who have influenced many citizens of this country. To begin, they both start out talking about human nature. Locke and Hobbes had very different views regarding human nature. Locke claimed human nature as reason and Hobbes claimed it as power and appetite. Locke believes that reason is the primary attribute of human nature.…

    • 706 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Monique Wilder Professor David Hill SSP 101.7920 July 15, 2015 Midterm 1) Explain the main differences and similarities between the ideas of Hobbes and Locke’s. Similarities include: rights, state of nature, atheism, powers of a sovereign, and the idea that governments are beneficial. John Locke and Thomas Hobbes are two social contract theorist who share similarities in their Social Contract Theories, however they both have differences. The social contract theory is a voluntary agreement among individuals by which organized society is brought into being and invested with the right to secure mutual protection and welfare or to regulate the relations among its members.…

    • 908 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Great Essays

    Initially their similarities, followed by the differences. Concluding with a summary of some main points. I. Thomas Hobbes Both political philosophers, Thomas Hobbes (1588-1679) and John Locke (1632-1704) have similar ideas in…

    • 2054 Words
    • 9 Pages
    Great Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Hobbes and Rousseau differ in their ideas on the state of nature, Hobbes has a negative view, while Rousseau believes we were better off in the state of nature. The basis for their different ideas on the state of nature contribute to their diverging ideas on their accounts of government by social contract. Hobbes argues for citizens relinquishing their authority to the state, while Rousseau contends for the sovereign authority to be in the hand of the citizens. I will argue that Rousseau makes a more convincing argument because it is one of compromise rather than extremism. Hobbes’ account of government by social contract is based on the basic principle and rational that people give up some of their rights in order to feel secure.…

    • 1070 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    There are an innumerable amount of terms to describe the nature of democracy, and this paper will aim to bring forth yet another one. Each term has its own different definition attached to it, ranging from the original, participatory form that did not have any notion of a hierarchy, to the more modern liberal democracy that instead relies on this notion of a hierarchy. Democracy is the movement that never stands still; it sails on the ship that is progressiveness. Progress is what has allowed democracy to be shaped and molded so often, and this is largely the reason as to why it has so many different terms that attempt to describe it. The issue with each of these descriptors, however, is that they are only valid until another term is considered…

    • 1777 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    All forms of social contract theory ultimately come down to one idea, that being that the individual desire for security and safety, demands fulfillment through a collective agreement. This collective agreement transforms the unaltered human state from the natural, primal state into an organized society. Beginning with Thomas Hobbes, with perhaps the most pessimistic view on the social contract and why it came about. According to Hobbes prior to Social Contract, man lived in the State of Nature. Man’s life in the State of nature was one of fear and selfishness, a chaotic condition of constant fear.…

    • 1704 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Great Essays

    Hobbes cared about maximizing liberty, defining social justice, and knowing how to divide the limits of the government power. The process of the state of nature is formed by a community and a government. People would view him as a “Psychological egoist” he was over the top with an unrealistic view of human nature. In the laws of nature and the social contract, “Hobbes thinks the state of nature is something we ought to avoid, at any cost except our own self presentation” (Thomas Hobbes). Hobbes believed in a social contract and how it would help the government rule the society.…

    • 1796 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Great Essays