The Social Contract

of the social contract (Hobbes 2012, 220). This paper argues that Hobbes’ theory of civil order is made durable by the narrow conception of justice, the appreciation of education, the profound conundrum between Hobbes’ distaste and use of rhetoric and the reconciliation…

John Locke, believed that in the original state of nature, Men exist in their natural condition. While Hobbes advanced a state of nature in which there was war between contending individuals for the scarce resources available, concluding that the state is the only possible check human nature. The state of nature that Locke describes is one of "equality, wherein all power and jurisdiction is reciprocal, no one having more than another" (263). It does not give men license to do absolutely anything…

creating the country. Political power John Locke interpreted as the right of people to make laws for the regulation and preservation of their property. Locke’s philosophy is also known as the philosophy of natural right. At the beginning of people’s social life there was no government. Human behavior and interaction with other people were regulated by the natural law which was known and understandable to everyone as an inborn capacity. However, everyone could have treated these laws of the…

as applies to all human beings? And in considering the contrary view of Mills to that original position—who gets left out? Who is denied access to the talking circles which enframe a notion of social justice ‘for all’? This brings to light the notion of ‘equality’ in the establishment of a social contract, of which Mills is especially suspicious, and Rawls takes for granted. If we are to ask how Mills would make sense of the abstract, theoretical ‘equality’ which Rawls espouses, we could…

In John Locke and Jean-Jacques Rousseau’s theories, the state of nature is pre-political. It aims to explain the origin of the political order and the legitimacy of human society. Men in Locke’s theory give up their perfect freedom in the state of nature to secure the advantages of civilized society (Locke 495). The role of the government then is to protect the natural rights of all namely man’s property and liberty (Locke 493). According to Rousseau, men in their natural state have equality and…

Rousseau believes that “every man by nature has a right to everything he need” (The Social Contract, 168). One thing that every man needs is property. However, “The right of first occupant… does not become a true right until after the establishment of the right of property” (The Social Contract, 168). People do not have a right to a piece of land until the right to own land has been erected, and this right must be established by the sovereign…

submit their freedom to a ruler or government through a “social contract,” thus becoming the state's property in hopes of “self-preservation.” Rousseau, however, argues that the development of inequality is a byproduct…

What was the historical significance of the political work of Hobbes? Thomas Hobbes (1588-1679) was an English philosopher and political writer, best known for his book “Leviathan” (1651), in which he set out his political views on society and how governments should conduct themselves. Hobbes was writing at a very important point in history: England was going through the turmoil of civil war and this was a major influence on Hobbes’ political work. Also, Hobbes was writing just before the…

protect them no more, it is then by the decision that their able to revolt against authority. However, only if their decision is supported by the majority. In John Locke theory, citizens are able to rebel against their government by the breach of contract: inability to protect their natural right of property. These notions of how citizens of a state can revolt against authority differ. Other differences appear apparent with the limitations of the ruler(s) and therefore the authority that the…

"Scientia potentia est" or “Knowledge is powerful.” Thomas Hobbes, a 17th century philosopher, wrote this phrase in his book, “Leviathan” that he published during the English Civil War in 1651. This book has become known as one of the most influential philosophical texts of its time. Hobbes wrote it based on fear he was having during the war so his aim was to show the essential need for a powerful authority to avert the evils of war. Hobbes predicts how life would be with the absence of…