Thomas Hobbes, an English philosopher, stated that humans, “...are in that condition which is called war, and such a war as is of every man against every man”. The state of life is one of warfare among one another. William Golding, author of Lord of the Flies, believed the same idea. In Lord of the Flies, a group of boys are stranded on an island and their civilization slowly turns into savagery. The boys split into two groups, one led by a boy named Jack and the other by a boy named Ralph, and the tribes are in a battle for complete power on the island. Jack’s tribe, a totalitarianism, destroys the entire island at the end of the story, showing Golding’s preference of a democracy, the type of government Ralph’s tribe has. While the philosopher Hobbes agrees with Golding’s view on human nature, he believes that an ideal government should be an absolute ruler, which contrasts with Goldings idea.
Hobbes believed that from birth, humans are naturally …show more content…
He believes that all men are naturally narcissistic, but there is a balancing force within them which battles the savagery. In addition, he seems to support a democratic government, yet fears that the Jacks of the world will threaten all forms of government and throw the world into turmoil and chaos that will eventually lead to the destruction of it. Thomas Hobbes has a similar viewpoint on human nature with Golding, that humans are naturally evil, but differs in the selection of government. Hobbes wanted an absolute ruler to keep the evil of humans at bay and control them. An example of a philosopher who had a similar viewpoint on government with Golding is John Locke. John Locke believed that any ruler should be elected by the people, similar to what occurred in Lord of the Flies, when Ralph was elected as a ruler over the boys. By comparing Locke to Golding, the claim that Golding supports a democracy is
Hobbes believed that from birth, humans are naturally …show more content…
He believes that all men are naturally narcissistic, but there is a balancing force within them which battles the savagery. In addition, he seems to support a democratic government, yet fears that the Jacks of the world will threaten all forms of government and throw the world into turmoil and chaos that will eventually lead to the destruction of it. Thomas Hobbes has a similar viewpoint on human nature with Golding, that humans are naturally evil, but differs in the selection of government. Hobbes wanted an absolute ruler to keep the evil of humans at bay and control them. An example of a philosopher who had a similar viewpoint on government with Golding is John Locke. John Locke believed that any ruler should be elected by the people, similar to what occurred in Lord of the Flies, when Ralph was elected as a ruler over the boys. By comparing Locke to Golding, the claim that Golding supports a democracy is