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Locke And Hobbes Argumentative Essay

491 Words2 Pages

During the reformation across Europe, there was many forward thinkers who were able to make sense of the ‘pressing problems’ of their day and age. One philosopher in particular, John Locke, was able to press on, and make sense of the problems that he faced in England during his time. However, the philosophers Locke, More, and Hobbes, contributed to society through the various arguments that they brought about. The arguments placed by Locke, Hobbes, and More in society acted as a building block for people in society to either follow, or disregard. Out of these three great philosophers, they had varying different viewpoints on life. Thomas Hobbes however, he was rather pessimistic on his views of life. According to a McKay, Crowston, Wiesner-Hanks, and Perry (2013), “Hobbes held a pessimistic view of human nature and believed that, left to their own devices humans would compete violently for power and wealth” (p 492). Hobbes made it clear that he did not trust humans would make the best decisions for …show more content…

On the other hand, Hobbes claimed that people could not really know what is right or wrong in the society, and thus could only leave well under the supervision of a common master. The approach is strong in that it traces the need to have an authority. It is weak because the disadvantages of each of the approach are not addressed. Of all the political philosophers, Hobbes is presented as the most powerful in grappling with the problems that endured during their time. In this case, Hobbes is seen to advocate for an authority that would determine what the people needed to do. He views the human beings as people who do not know what is right or wrong unless they are guided (Macpherson, 2010). Due to his contributions, authorities that governed the people came up and guided people’s behaviors This restored order among the people and thus life was better and more

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