Compare and contrast the views of Thomas Hobbes and John Locke
Date Submitted: 09/10/2006 06:06:10
Category: / History / European History
Length: 3 pages (693 words)
Category: / History / European History
Length: 3 pages (693 words)
Thomas Hobbes (1588-1679) and John Locke (1632-1704) greatly disagreed on many key issues of their day; issues such as human nature, political authority, and the right of people to rebel. Hobbes studied before the Enlightenment, whereas that influenced John Locke's views immensely. Hobbes's ideas are also derived from his pessimistic view of human nature. He viewed people as selfish and greedy. To the contrary, Locke viewed people as good and intelligent.
Hobbes often described people …
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…and fairly.
Obviously, Locke and Hobbes disagreed with many key issues including human nature, political authority, and right to rebellion. Locke believed humans are basically good, while Hobbes believed them to be selfish. Locke believed political authority rested with the people, while Hobbes believed an absolute monarch should have complete authority. Hobbes and Locke agreed that there were certain times when rebellion was righteous but Locke believed this to be far less frequent than Hobbes.
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