Images of Thomas Hobbes (left) and John Locke (right) (Source: American Battlefield Trust)
Thomas Hobbes and John Locke are two famous philosophers that lived in relatively similar time periods but had very different ideas about human nature.
Hobbes lived from 1588 to 1679, which was a time of turmoil, violence, and religious wards throughout Europe. At this time, the Scientific Revolution was in inception, and the question of human nature became very important to philosophers.
Hobbes’ answer to this question was extremely negative. He is remembered for being harshly critical of the human race, and his most famous quote says, “Life in a state of nature is solitary, poor, nasty, brutish, and short.” Because of this perspective, he believed that society consists of a contract between every individual in the state. In this contract, the government’s primary role is as a protector of the individuals from their own human nature.
In exchange for the government’s protection, citizens must give up nearly all their rights and obey the government fully.
John Locke, on the other hand, believed that humans naturally had emotions, but are primarily rational creatures. He lived from 1632 to 1704 and created the term “Natural Law”, which describes that moral values come from the human ability to reason. Unlike Hobbes, Locke had a very positive outlook on human nature.
Because of this, he believed that all humans have inalienable rights, or rights that can’t be taken away from the government: the rights to life, liberty, and property. When crafting the U.S. constitution, founding father Thomas Jefferson copied Locke’s wording into the foundation of the American government.
Locke further argues that because of these inalienable rights, the ability of the government to rule stems from the consent of the governed. Thus, if individuals are no longer happy with the government, they have a right to overthrow it and create a new one. Additionally, Locke believed in a limited government with checks and balances to prevent tyranny. He also argued that individuals have a right of resistance, or are entitled to defend their personal property against the government.
Locke’s ideas created the basis for modern democracy, and his words are found repeated in the 1688 English Declaration of Rights, and the 1776 U.S. Declaration of Independence.
Discussion Questions:
Why do you think Hobbes and Locke believed in the ideas that they did?
Have you seen Locke’s words anywhere before? If so, where?
Do you think that human nature is inherently good or bad?
Vocabulary:
Relatively: closely
Turmoil: chaos
Inception: beginning
Critical: difficult to please
Rational: able to think and reason
Outlook: view
Inalienable: unable to be taken away
Foundation: basis
Consent: agreement
Resistance: the act of pushing back
