Thomas Hobbes is a 17-century English philosopher famous for his contributions into the theory of political philosophy. Thomas Locke believed that that the success of any state is in the monarchy and that only people’s full obedience to the sovereign can guarantee them protection and safety.
Thomas Hobbes saw a success of a state in the theory of social contract under which people, initially born with rights, relinguish all their rights to the monach who, in his/her turn, protects his/her people and guarantees peace in the state itself. This theory is based on the idea that all people are inherently evil and selfish; therefore, they are able to think only about their own interests while the sovereign can think about the state and its benefits in general, thus, promoting the interests of people in this state as well. The obedience which the monach demands is the necessity which eventually leads to safety and peace in the state.
Hobbes’s most famous work is Leviathan written at the time of the English Civil War. Leviathan is where he actually explains his social contract theory which he sees as a means of avoiding civil wars and disorders. To support his theory, Hobbes develops a methodology which is considered to be his priceless contribution in the political philosophy. To explain why his theory of social contract should work, Hobbes draws a picture of people’s life without any control of the governement. He names this conditions of life the state of nature. Under these conditions people will have no industry, no navigation, no knowledge about the face of the earth, no understanding of time, and no hope to get all this. According to Hobbes, people’s social contract with the soverign is the only way for them to reach well-being and obtain the benefits which a civil society can provide them with.
In other words, Thomas Hobbes’s ideas represent a full support of an absolute power of a monach, with people having no rights to change anything in the structure of the society or in the principles followed. It is, of course, good if the government’s protection and concern can guarantee the people peace in the country as well as peace of mind. But the history shows that most monarchs think about their own interests first of all. Hobbes says that all people are inherently evil. Monarchs are human beings as well. So, they are also evil and think primarily about themselves rather than about the benefits of their people. However, under Hobbes theory of social contract, people have no right to protest against their monarch, even if their monarch is abusive. Of course, such structure of the society can definitely guarantee order and peace. But the question is whether people in this society can be happy and enjoy a real well-being in addition to order and safety given to them by their monarch.
John Locke
John Locke was one of the most influential 17-century thinkers. He is known for his philosophical contributions into the political science as well as into the theory of mind. His ideas were followed by other prominent thinkers, such as Rousseau, Voltaire, Kant, Hume, etc. Moreover, his conclusions concerning classical republicanism and liberalism can be found in the United States Declaration of Independence.
Locke’s political preferences were liberalism and democracy. He believed that all people have rights to life, freedom, and ownership of property. Locke trusted people and was convinced that if they are provided with the necessary information, they can govern themselves without any absolute power of the sovereign. Of course, he did not reject the idea of the government as an institute of power. But that power should not be absolute and, in case the government is abusive, people should be free to change it.
So, Locke ardently supported the idea of the limited government. In Locke’s understanding, the duty of the government is to protect its people and their rights. It means that the government is the one who has certain obligations before its people, not visa versa. He was a successful politician and a revolutionary himself. His cause against the existing government led to a triumph in the so-called Glorious Revolution of 1688. Among Locke’s most famous works in the sphere of political science, there is The Second Treatise of Governement. It is valuable for its detailed description of the nature of private property. Locke believed that all people have property rights for the things obtained through labor. The philosopher admitted, of course, that with the government established, the authority has certain rights to regulate the acquisition and distribution of property rights by people through regulating laws. Locke was greatly interested in this subject and devoted a lot of works and thinking to this aspect of economy.
So, John Locke’s ideas, though introduced as long ago as in the 17th century, are still mostly true and should be attentively studied and put into practice. Locke’s understanding of the social structure is something which can be successfully applied nowadays and it actually is, in many countries. According to this philosopher, people have rights to regulate their life as well as decide for themselves under what kind of government they want to live. Locke’s theory of property rights is also very useful, though it must be a little adjusted to the present-day reality. There is Locke’s theory of tolerance as well. Tolerence is something that most modern politicians and governments lack, which results in social conflicts and even wars involving different countries. Especially serious are the conflicts triggered by religious disagreements. Locke insisted that people have rights to practice the religion they want without any interference of the government. If Locke’s ideas of religious tolerance were followed, there could definitely be fewer wars and less blood-shedding in our world.
