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The justification of the state, along with an unspoken social contract, has been the topic of debate for centuries. ... Both the writings of Hobbes and Locke attempt to answer the questions of how government was formed, why it was created, and whether mankind is truly good or bad at heart. ...
Hobbes takes an absolutists view on the issue. Hobbes primarily sees the need for an all-powerful government to be in control the whims and behavior of mankind, who are inherently bad. ... This three drives would inevitably cause fighting
and confrontation and put the world in a constant state of war. ... Hobbes neither infers that this state of anarchy may have existed, nor that it will ever exist. ...
In a natural state, that is, society without the presence of a sovereign, though there may be a state of anarchy, there is no wrong due to the fact that right and wrong are only defined by the lawmaker. ... Hobbes illustrates three laws of nature: seek peace, defend by any means, and keep your covenants. ...
The natural law and logical progression that Hobbes speaks of slightly resembles Locke’s view on the social contract and his justification of the state. Locke’s democratic answer does not paint the human race as evil as Hobbes, but
rather addresses the safety of man when left without order and structure. Locke views man as unable to guarantee their own safety when removed from the confines of a political society. ...
As Hobbes outlines the laws of nature, Locke focuses on what that state of nature lacks. In an ultimate state of nature there is no settled law and therefore it is impossible for there to have been established a difference between right and wrong. ...
The viewpoints of both Hobbes and Locke have some similarities, but Locke seems to have a better, more practical answer. It is hard to believe that people are as evil as Hobbes portrays them, yet it is plausible to say that people are not safe without the presence of a political society, as Locke demonstrates. Locke’s democratic answer of the social contract and the justification of the state can be demonstrated easily through examples of everyday life.
Approximate Word count = 1757
Approximate Pages = 7
(250 words per page double spaced)
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