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The classical social contract tradition of Hobbes, Locke and Rousseau have, in spite of their variation in themes and emphases, been accepted as the basis to the development of liberal democratic theory and practice. Hobbes and Locke although sharing totally opposing views both propose legitimate systems of social organization. Hobbes believed that a society needed to be controlled by high authority otherwise each ones selfishness would take over and it would be uncontrollable. Locke on the other hand focused on individualism and the fact that everyone has the right to live their life the way they want to. Both proposals clearly have their pros and cons, but these men truly believed that their systems where the way to go. Hobbes belief in man was not that of a positive one.
He thought of man as an animal, selfish, aggressive and power hungry. He argued that a state of nature was a state of war, therefore the need for authority was vital to keep the peace. His idea of government was that of a chosen individual or group, which kept control through the use of fear of punishment which forced men to act in proper conduct. This government was then obligated to balance individuals interests and create culture, economy and wealth. In turn each citizen agreed to a common power to control them and look out for their best interests. Rebellion was impossible and the only rights one had was those the government granted.
If we as humans were not so persuaded by our nature then this system of government would be successful, but we are too often ruled by our emotions and as he states we find three principle causes of quarrel; competition, diffidence and glory. As humans we have a right to make our own destiny, unfortunately in this type of system this is not the case, which does not fulfill ones individuality. Although this political system has a strong sense of control and community it does not allow oneself to be an individual, which some might argue is the whole point to life. On the contrary, Locke believes that man has natural rights to life, liberty and property.
In his eyes men are created free and equal, and know natural rights through reason and common sense, but he does feel man has the potential for evil and in that case proper punishment is in order. The government in this political system is there to protect individual citizen's rights to life. They give the individuals security and liberality to pursue their own interests, which will in turn further the common good. Majority of the ruling in this society is done by the citizens, who limit the power of the government.
The government is really only there to protect natural rights and freedoms, if they fail to do so citizens can exercise their rights in the form of rebellion which is justified. This is a potential problem in that with the right if rebellion it creates instability, which may then need more government involvement leading to laws, constitutions and limits and then a not so liberal system in the end. In this type of political system community is not of the essence, its all about the individual. This is not completely fair because some benefit more than others in that the community would be based upon the wealth of the individuals, which may go back to the saying "life isn't fair", but in a society like this life is exactly what you make of it. Being an individual, no matter how you go about doing it, is what life is all about. That is why Locke's political system is the better way.
Being able to think and be inspired to do what you want is key and in this society you have the freedom to do so. Where as with Hobbes he believes freedom equals anarchy and chaos. In our society today I think it's almost like a happy medium, we have our rights and our freedoms, but we also have enough authority as well. Even though there are many cases in our world today where people go out of control and situations are not handled correctly, you have to expect that when people have the rights to their own opinions and choices. Living in our society today is a challenge and it always will be when its full of liberality and differences, but a challenge is good.
No one said life is easy, if it was I wouldn't be writing this essay on the different aspects of Hobbes, Locke's and Rousseau. There would be no enlightenment.
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Research essay sample on Different Aspects Of Hobbes Locke Amp Rousseau
