Seeking a Peaceful Government

Paper Summary:

In this article, the writer maintains that the philosopher John Locke agreed with the some of the premises of Thomas Hobbes. The writer discusses that both the philosophers viewed the idea of a social contract as being a way to achieve a peaceful existence through the foundation of a strong government, but the ways in which they believed it could be accomplished were different. The peaceful aim for man's existence is similar in the philosophies of Hobbes and Locke, but Hobbes' 'Leviathan' treatise seeks a political contract between the people and the government that is more authoritarian, and Locke's 'Two Treatises of Government' seeks a contract that calls for a peaceful coexistence by citizens simply deferring their individual rights. The writer concludes that even though it is rare that philosophical idealism rarely matches reality, a pursuit of Locke's presumption of man obtaining a harmonious natural state of peace is similar to the authoritarian social contract of Hobbes' 'Leviathan' in that both seek ways to maintain peaceful existences between the government and its citizens.

From the Paper:

"In accordance to Hobbes' social contract, the dynamic accord between the state and its people is the mutual understanding of duties: the individual is bound to obey; the sovereign state is bound to supply order and safe security.
"Hobbes was appealing to the altruistic aspects of individuals in a common society as well as in individuals that comprised the government. In general terms, both parties must be able to adhere to their higher selves as they exclude selfish tendencies and inclinations toward seeking power. Lubienski argues that there is the danger or possibility that an imbalance of power could occur by ... "

Sample of Sources Used:

• Gaskin, J.C.A., ed. "Introduction." Thomas Hobbes Leviathan. New York: Oxford UP, 1998. xi-xliii.
• Hobbes, Thomas. Leviathan. Ed. C.B. MacPherson. London: Penguin, 1985.
• Locke, John. Two Treatises of Government. Ed. Peter Laslett. New York: Cambridge UP, 1988.
• Lubienski, Z. "Hobbes' Philosophy and Its Historical Background." Thomas Hobbes Critical Assessments. Ed. Preston King. New York: Routledge, 1993. 1-16.

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