Formation of Government
The formation of government is one of the central themes for both Hobbes and Locke. Whether or not men naturally form a government, or must form a government, is based on man's basic nature. According to Hobbes, a government must be formed to preserve life and prevent loss of property. According to Locke, a government arises to protect life and property. Governments are born of inequality and formed to administer equality.Hobbes goes into a lot of detail concerning man's interactions with one another including ways in which man can seek to live "together in Peace, and Unity" (page 69). However, Hobbes focuses on the interactions of man seeking the same goal. In any system of limited resources, "Competition of Riches, Honour, Command, or other power enclineth to Contention, Enmity, and War: Because the way of one Competitor, to attaining of his desire, is to kill, subdue, supplant, or repell the other" (page 70). Hobbes also deals with the qualities which man possess, and how they affect a man's basic nature. Man who is charismatic leads others to confide in him. Charisma combined with military ability causes men to follow others as leaders. Those who think of themselves as leaders, the "Men that have a strong opinion of their
Unlike Hobbes, whose laws of nature have to deal with man's preserving of his own life, Locke chooses to apply the term to the idea of reason, by saying that if man reasons about the fundamental concerns that government arises to protect life and property, man can come to certain natural conclusions about how they should be protected. In conclusion, although a government should protect life and prevent loss of property, these protections are not guaranteed. Competition and crime is still a problem even though a government exists. Even today, throughout the world, inequalities still exist. Although governments exist there is still no guarantee of equality or that every life and all property will be protected. It is human nature to quarrel, however according to Hobbes "in the nature of man, we find three principall causes of quarrel. First, Competition; Secondly, Diffidence; Thirdly, Glory" (page 88). Men fight for their own gain, to protect themselves, and to acquire a reputation as warriors. Hobbes points out the basic nature of man's interactions with each other, however Hobbes is not saying that man is fundamentally evil, but rather, "The desires, and other Passions of man, are in themselves no Sin" (page 89). They are merely natural parts of man, and should be understood as such. Locke also focuses on the nature of crime and justice. Mankind "may not unless it be to do justice to an offender, take away, or impair the life, or what tends to the preservation of the life, the liberty, health, limb or goods of another" (page 5). Locke also holds that "if any one in the state of nature may punish another for any evil he has done, every one may do so" (page 5). Furthermore, when one man does injury against another, "he who hath received any damage, has besides the right of punishment common to him with other men, a particular right to seek reparatio
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Approximate Word count = 1257
Approximate Pages = 5 (250 words per page double spaced)
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