Hobbes and Locke

Paper Summary:

Thomas Hobbes and John Locke each formulated notions regarding human liberty in nearly the same social, political, and provincial circumstances. This paper explains that although their most famous works were separated approximately forty years from one another, they were both wealthy members of seventeenth century English society during a period of particular social and religious turmoil. It also points out that both Hobbes and Locke sought to use reasoning to determine the most appropriate form of political and social organization.

From the Paper:

"It should be anticipated, therefore, that their fundamental conceptions regarding freedom also possess many similarities; however-aside from their initial premises-Hobbes and Locke vary wildly in both their approaches to the topic of freedom and the consequences they believe these lines of reasoning hold for society. Locke has come to be thought of as one of the founders of modern political philosophy in the West, and rightly so. Hobbes, on the other hand, has continued to remain celebrated for his philosophical construction of metaphysical materialism. Their ideas concerning freedom reflect these two drastically different perspectives, and in fact, are products of them. "

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