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Locke And Hobbes Influence On Modern Politics

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To begin, Locke and Hobbes were two outstanding thinkers who argued in different ways, Hobbes believed in the legitimacy of absolute monarch and Locke believed in a government based on the will of the people being governed. They both represented a growing trend in European society in the 17th and 18th centuries to use reason as the final judgment of things, including the conduct of kings. They contributed to modern political science, and they both had similar views on where power lies in a society. Hobbes has influenced to some degree what can be done to change a government by the people, the contributions Hobbes did led to the foundation of what today is the conservative party. On the other hand, Locke was very influential in shaping modern politics, our current view of human nature, the nature of individual rights, the popular constitutions that exist today and the building blocks of the liberal party.
Added to that, The Grolier encyclopedia …show more content…

As we know Hobbes agreed totally in absolute monarchy. He even said that the purpose of the government was to impose the law and order to prevent the state of war. Also, he believed that a government headed by a king was the best form that a society could take. That if we placed all power in the hands of the king would mean more resolute and consistent exercise of political authority, he said. In the other hand Locke said that the purpose of a government should be to secure natural rights, namely man property and liberty. He favored a representative government such as the English Parliament, but he wanted that the representatives be only men of property and business. Both believed in a type of social contract between the government and the ones governed. Locke's social contract was government by the consent of those being governed, which is why he was the prime philosopher that Thomas Jefferson looked to when drafting the Declaration of

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