Thomas Hobbes Research Paper

There is no government, no authority whatsoever. Every being is born equal and share the right to do anything for their survival. His political theory was based off his idea that all humans are naturally evil and selfish. Hobbes said that this equality leads to war. “...a war of every man against every man.”

These sad events gave a foundation for Hobbes’s pessimistic views on life, and mens morals. When Thomas Hobbes was 15 he went to the university of oxford. He took a traditional arts degree and developed an interest in maps. While attending the university he would tutor William Cavendish, he would do a lot of different things for their family, such as a translator, an account keeper, and a business representative. Hobbes became connected with the royalist side through his work for William.

He was born in 1588, and died 1679. Throughout his life, Hobbes believed that the only true form of government was an absolute monarchy. He argued that, forcefully would be the only way to get respect from the people. He also believed in only certain people having rights. Hobbes believed in people who were born with rights that they hand over to the monarch and get protection.

Hobbes’ approach hinges on this understanding. “[R]eason

John Locke, a great philosopher, made a great contribution to the Enlightenment ideology for both society and government. His ideas were contradictory to the ideas of Hobbes. Since, they were complete opposites. Locke believed that human nature was good while Hobbes believed that human nature was bad. Hobbes argued that his idea was right, and that for people to escape that horrible way of living, they had to give their rights away to a strong absolute leader or ruler and in return they got law and order.

Thomas Hobbes, an English philosopher in the 17th century, who was best known for his book Leviathan and his political views on society. Plato, an ancient Greek philosopher, who was a student of Socrates and a teacher of Aristotle, explored justice, beauty, and equality, and among many other topics. There are many common topics available to compare and contrast Thomas Hobbes and Plato, although one point that has to be made clear is that, they share similar ideologies. Between Plato and Hobbes, there are many differences, however one of these differences is the result in how each writer perceives human beings and their roles within the state and society, and both have radically opposing views on human nature in general. While Plato and Hobbes

With their philosophic stance, it is first necessary to be clear about the fundamental nature of political reality. What are the key constituting ingredients of political life? Hobbes finds the great drive for self-preservation and the passions plus a calculating self-interest as chief factors. Locke finds natural equality and liberty plus the great rights. In both cases, the method is to go behind culture and civilization and to discover the original, natural, and basic parts that will form the whole.

Hobbes’ depiction of the role of the sovereign presented a subtle but distinct understanding in the formation

Hobbes’s opinions about politics and government were far different from fellow English philosopher John Locke’s in his document Second Treatise of Government published in 1689. Locke existed during a much later period in Europe, when the Wars of Religion was over and England had established the Glorious Revolution Agreement between Dutch nobility, William and Mary, and Parliament. Due to the different time periods in which Hobbes and Locke lived, their experiences had a major effect on their opinions about government. Hobbes’ Leviathan and Locke’s Second Treatise of Government had different opinions regarding a man’s state of nature and social contract.

One his theories, stated in his book called Leviathan said that people are not able rule themselves because of how selfish mankind is and they need to be ruled by an iron fist. His political theory was that was also stated in Leviathan was that we should respect government authority under all circumstances to avoid violence. Hobbes was scared of the outcome of the social contract which meant people could get rid of the government if they were unhappy with what they were getting. In order to make well with the social contract he states in Leviathan that people should be completely obedient to the government. His reasoning was that if there was no government, there would be chaos.

When comparing the two different accounts of English philosophers Thomas Hobbes and John Locke we must take into consideration a number of things such as the age in which they lived and the time in which they produced their philosophical writings. We will however find out that these two philosophers actually have a couple of things in which agree on even though most of their opinions clash. On one side we have Thomas Hobbes who lived in the time of the English Civil War (1642-1651) who provides a negative framework for his philosophical opinions in his masterpiece Leviathan and who advocates for philosophical absolutism . On the other side we have John Locke, living during the glorious revolution (1688-1689) he presents a positive attitude in his book The Second Treatise of Government and advocates for philosophical and biblical constitutionalism. It is important that we know that the state of nature describes a pre- political society prior to the social contract.

According to Hobbes, a sovereign, whether the sovereign was placed into power by violence or force, is the only way to secure law and order. For him, if a citizen obeys the sovereign for fear of punishment or in the fear of the state of nature, it is the choice of the citizen. According to Hobbes, this is not tyranny; it is his idea of a society that is successful, one that does not have room for democracy. As a realist, Hobbes has a fierce distrust of democracy and viewed all of mankind in a restless desire for power. If the people are given power, law and order would crumble in Hobbes’ eyes.

Hobbes was an English philosopher, known through out the world as the author of “Leviathan” which is regarded as one of the earliest examples of the social contract theory. His writings were greatly influenced by the

René Descartes was a great philosopher, first of his kind. He was a mathematician and physicists of the modern era whose advanced way of thinking gave him great recognition in modern philosophy. Descartes was a significant figure in the development of the 17th century rationalism and one of his major works that put him in the spotlight was “Discourse of Method” which he wrote in 1637. Descartes search of mathematical and scientific truth led to a deep and weighty denial of the scholastic tradition in which he has been so well educated with. The philosophical writings and beliefs that he is known for were labeled as controversial issues.

They has different philosophical views and political views during the time. Hobbes was a firm believer in social contract and also believes that the world is every man for himself. When it comes to books and what their main purpose is, Hobbes can have a lot to say. During the years he lives, he published many books on different topics regarding the way that he saw things. One of his more famous writings which was a trilogy called The Elements of Philosophy had a strong interpretation of his philosophical standings.