Introduction to the Political Environment

Political Assessment

Name:

Institution:

Political Assessment

Introduction

The human society comprises of inequity and imbalances which are not appropriate for the society and this changes the way that they have to cope with the society. It is important to understand that Hobbes and Locke all came up with definitions of how to cope with the different world, with Locke adopting an inclusive and balanced approach while Hobbes did favor with the government. Hobbes did have an opposing opinion towards the people because of the belief that people need a sense of direction to achieve cohesion in our family. Locke did believe in the righteousness of the people and them having a democratic approach towards how they lead their lives which is an important prospect towards coming up with a functional society.

Biography on John Locke

John Locke born in 1632 in Wrington, England and became one of the influential thinkers in the world. Locke attended Westminster School in London and later joined Christ Church in Oxford that was one of the most important colleges in England. Locke is the “father of liberalism” which emanates from the maturity of the notion of politics that made it easier for him to have a positive approach towards the society and humanity. Locke did exclusively approach the concept of nature with the belief that people need to use the power to protect his society while the formulation of the government emerged from a consent of people where the ruling is by the majority.

Biography on Thomas Hobbes

Thomas Hobbes was born in 1588 in Westport in England and has a reputation as a philosopher, historian and scientist. Hobbes attended his education at Hertford College and St John’s College and later joining Oxford University while focusing more on the understanding that individuals came up with an establishment of the sovereign power which will help protect them from potential insecurity within the state of nature. Hobbes unlike Locke did believe in authoritarian leadership with no remorse or will among the people. It is evident throughout his career, Hobbes did champion for an absolute monarchy for a government. Thomas did have a strong belief that human beings are naturally selfish creatures and this made it a challenge for him to believe that it is easy to govern them. Hobbes died in 1679 in Derbyshire

John Locke had an open mind on the state of nature whereby he believed that people need to stand up for their society. It is evident that Locke had an interesting quest and thoughts on the ideologies of mankind taking care of their own while they do punish the interests of the others. On the other side, Hobbes did believe that there is an essential need for rules and governance because people on their own would wage wars against each other (Engle, 2019). People would fail to carry out business, come up with an intellectual life, feel safe or even organize the community. It is important to understand that the two people did not have a common agreement on the issue because they all thought about people in different ways. The two philosophers did disagree on the role and nature of men in the society that did influence the way that they did view the general society. It is evident that Locke was more lenient towards humanity in comparison to Hobbes who saw humans as a source of disaster and a problem which led to their failure in their thoughts.

John Locke did focus on the understanding that there was a clear and mutual understanding and duties between the governed and the government. Locke did have a clear understanding and description of the expectations between the two whereby the government would protect and take care of the people while the people would act in obedience towards the government. According to Locke, failure of any part to uphold their end of the deal will result into a termination of the contract which changes the entire relationship making it a major problem.

Hobbes on the other hand, had a strong stance on the social contract whereby he does believe that people need a strong sense of direction from the government in charge. The concept did raise a much challenging problem and a negative opinion towards Hobbes on the issue especially in an era where people were enduring a political awakening. People did not want an authoritative leadership management plan but that is how Hobbes did view as the only solution towards the success of the people (Mulgan, 2018). It is important to understand that the people did view Hobbes as a favorite towards the government and this did not appeal well to the public because they did view him as an individual that was failing the state.

It is important to understand that Locke did believe that the people and the existing government had to work together while making sure that there is some form of co-existence that would help make sure that there is a right strategy and success. The concept made it a challenge because it did help make sure that there is a transition that would help improve the way that they had to carry out their interactions. Hobbes did have a problem with the simplicity of the people to come up with a proper system that would push and fluctuate their business understanding which did shape the way that they have to practice their interactions. It is important to come to terms that the social contract between the two philosophers did occur with the understanding that one believes in people and how they can change and become good with a government that works for the people (Coby, 2020). It is not the same case, in Hobbes view because the people need constant reminders and directions that will push them towards the success of the government. The government does not need to explain itself to the people instead it’s the people that need to bend to the government leading to constant opposition in opinions between the two philosophers.

Conclusion

The state of nature and the social contract in the society does push people to think and act differently which lead to Hobbes and Locke develop different ideas. The ideologies of the two philosophers basically varied on the fact that Hobbes did not believe that people had the capability to think and function without strong directives from their government. Locke did think that there was need for the government to work together with its people and function well under a common contract which would help make sure that there was a connection and success towards their society. The two opinions depict that people in governance need to protect the interest of the people while the people work in favor of their government making up the social contract.

References

Coby, P. (2020). The Law of Nature in Locke’s Second Treatise: Is Locke a Hobbesian? The Review of Politics, 49(1), 3–28.

Engle, E. (2019). Modernity: Social Contract and Natural Law. In Post Positivism. (Vol. 270, pp. 109–154). Duncker & Humblot GmbH. 

Mulgan, T. (2018). Hobbes and Locke. In Ethics for Broken World: Imagining Philosophy after Catastrophe (pp. 148–159). McGill-Queen’s University Press.