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ComparisonofHobbesandLockesStateofNatureandSocialContracttheory.docx

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Comparison of Hobbes and Locke’s State of Nature and Social Contract theory

Introduction

(This Essay is as much about Hobbes and Locke as it is about their views. This is an abrupt way to start.)

Social theory is a theory that holds that for people to live in a society, they have to abide by a certain contract. This theory is very old and can be traced back to Plato. Plato is credited with the first appearance of social contract theory in his book The Rhetoric. which has at least five elements. These elements are the parties' agreement, the object of the agreement, and what the agreement is supposed to show. The social contract theory aims to show that people in society have a reason to agree to social conventions. It also serves to show that rules, whether they be social, political, or moral, can be rationally justified. This rationality is dependent on a rational agreement. Scholars only differ on the individual reasons for having a social contract, but the tenets of the theory remain very much the same. Some choose to follow Hobbes's view, which sees individual reasons as highly subjective. Thomas Hobbes and John Locke are two of the most important people who believe in the social contract. (This information needs to be redone and more thought needs to be put into some)

Biography of John Locke (Essay form so it should flow)

John Locke was born on August 29, 1629, in Wrington, Somerset, England. Locke's father was a lawyer. When Locke was 10 years old, there was an English war. The war was between Charles I and parliamentarians. Locke's father, at the time, was the captain of the cavalry of parliamentarians. It is believed that Locke's observation of this war deepened his conviction that the monarch did not hold divine rule (How so?). After the war, Locke was enrolled in Westminster School and later Oxford. His upbringing as a puritan coloured Locke's thinking and way of writing ( How So?). He wrote Two Tracts of Government in 1660, and later, as a supervisor of undergraduates, he wrote the Laws of Nature, which articulated his philosophical views very well, and these views remained almost unchanged throughout his career. Locke's political views were very much guided by his religious commitment. He always believed in the existence of a creative God and his purpose for humanity. Locke was also concerned about subjects such as education. He later died in 1704 in High Laver, Essex. (Woolhouse, R., 2007).

Biography of Thomas Hobbes (same as above)

Thomas Hobbes was born on April 5th, 1555. Hobbes was the son of a parish priest who later abandoned his children to the care of his brother. Hobbes attended school at Westport and, later, at the age of 15, he attended Magdalen Hall at the University of Oxford. At Oxford, he took a degree in arts. Hobbes was exposed to practical politics before he interacted with theoretical politics. Hobbes's first work was The Law, Natural and Politic, which was published in 1640. Hobbes, who has studied languages and the arts, developed an interest in science and mathematics. Hobbes believed that people are not naturally suited for politics because they are inherently selfish. (He Argued that the) This self-interest will eventually prompt them to go to war with other people. Neither can they appeal nor invoke appeal to natural common standards. From the time of his death in 1679, Hobbes was highly esteemed for his philosophical views. N. Malcolm (Malcolm, 1996). (This Biography can be much better)

Hobbes and Locke’s ideas on the state of nature (No heading)

Hobbes and Locke differed on (How they viewed what has been formed) the state of the nature. Hobbes believed and wrote that the nature of man is inherently selfish and is not therefore driven towards society. This nature is constantly in motion to reduce pain and derive pleasure. (Gauthier, D. P. 1969). In this state, which may or may not exist, man cannot agree unless acted upon by an outside force. Hobbes believed that man, because of their selfish interests, are constantly at war with other men because they are interested in the same things. Because of war, men are therefore compelled to elect a leader and form a society. (Good Start but there is more)

States differently and saw it as less barborie and then went on to say In Locke’s state of nature…..

On the other hand, In Locke’s viewed the state of nature of man is "free, equal, and independent and that no one can get out of this state unless he consents to it." (Aaron, R. John Locke, 1967). The only way men form a society is by agreeing with other men to secure their property. Locke's idea was that men are inherently governed by the law of nature, which is identical to moral law. This law of nature dictates what is right and wrong, and so the nature of man is always at peace. A man will only engage in war with other men because they have violated the law of nature and are not operating under reason and so………………(need to write more)

I am not understanding the aim of these Paragraphs (Basically it should flow into each other)

This means that when Hobbes is talking about the state of nature, he is referring to the nature of man outside of any social conditions and norms. A pre-social state. Hobbes therefore, in his philosophy, shows the importance of social conditioning and learning as an antidote to Hobessian fear, perpetual and even social contracts.

Locke and his theories on natural law take social conditioning and learning for granted. His definition of a state of nature is pre-political. It is peaceful and more inclined to politics because it has been socially conditioned and inhibited by norms. (Greeson, M. P., 1994). Locke's state of nature, on the other hand, is a format, so it is practical and can be used. This means that it can be used in a social contract at that point.?

Hobbes's description of the state of nature is theoretical and hypothetical, while Hobbes's description is normative. (Lemos, R. M., 1978). The Hobbesian state of nature is almost non-existent since society is already civilized and governed by civil and social laws.?

Hobbes and Locke also agree on the tendency of man not to act according to the laws of nature. Hobbes argues that though man is endowed with a reason that can help him discern the law of nature and practice it, man cannot consistently follow these dictates of reason.?

Locke also proposes that man, because of his epistemic limitations, has limited knowledge of natural law. Even on the occasion that they possess this knowledge, they may not necessarily act accordingly. He also says that man's endless curiosity and scepticism become hindrances in the understanding of natural law and its practice. On this point, Hobbes and Locke both agree that man is limited when it comes to practising what he knows. (Lemos, R. M., 1978.)

Hobbes and Locke’s Ideas on Social contract

Locke’s for men to enter into a social contract complements that of Hobbes (?). This is because though Locke’s state of nature of man is peaceful and under the control of the law of nature, this freedom is infringed upon by others. This fear of interference resembles Hobbesian fear and is the motivation for a social contract. Therefore, Hobbes's theory and Locke's theory are similar on this point.

Hobbes and Locke differed on how the social contract would be enforced. Hobbes believed that since men were in constant war, it would be difficult to honour the honours or dishonours of a social contract. He, therefore, proposes that sovereign power be needed to enforce the social contract. Sovereign power is not a party to the social contract. Since Hobbes's state of nature is hypothetical, his idea of a social contract is highly hypothetical as well. Fear is the only thing that makes men have to follow the rules of a social contract and the rules of the government. Moritz, T. (2010)

Locke's idea of a social contract naturally proceeds from the avoidance of solitary life. In their quest to avoid solitary life, they start a family, and eventually they form a legislature. The Legislature is a positive-grant institution. The government is therefore obligated to serve the people. Locke also argued that a man has a property right to his own body and that, because the government is uninterested in protecting that freedom, a provision for it should be included in the social contract. Moritz, T. (2010)

Conclusion

Hobbes and Locke differ on how the social contract is enforced, but they complement each other on the state of nature and the motivations for a social contract. Hobbes and Locke were products of their own time and how they viewed the world at the time. Their ideas served to develop a more solid contract theory.

References

Aaron, R. John Locke. 1967.Oxford: Clarendon Press,

Colby, P. 1987."'The Law of Nature in Locke's Second Treatise," The Review

Gauthier, D. P. 1969. The Logic of Leviathan. Oxford: Clarendon Press, -

Lemos, R. M. 1978. Hobbes and Locke. Atlanta: University of Georgia Press,

Locke, J. 1952. The Second Treatise of government. ed. Thomas P. Reardon.

New York: Bobbs-Merill Company, Inc.,

Mouritz, T. (2010). Comparing the social contracts of Hobbes and Locke. The Western Australian Jurist, 1(1), 123-127.

Malcolm, N. (1996). A summary biography. The Cambridge Companion to Hobbes, 13. Woolhouse, R. (2007). Locke: A biography. Cambridge University Press.

Greeson, M. P. (1994). Hobbes, Locke, and the State of Nature Theories: A Reassessment. Episteme, 5(1), 2.