Paternal Power

Paper Summary:

The paper discusses the issue of paternal power as perceived by English philosophers, John Locke and Thomas Hobbes. It looks at the theories that they agreed on and those they disagreed on. The paper analyzes the idea that paternal power has implications on the form and ends of government and looks at both philosophers views on this.

From the Paper:

"Both Hobbes and Locke believed that the concept of paternal power would be better considered in terms of parental power. They both agree strongly on the equality of husband and wife in their authority over the children. However, they disagreed on the origins of this equality. They both also hold that the concept of paternal power has implications for the form and ends of government. While Hobbes relates paternal power to the origin of commonwealths, Locke emphasizes equality and shared power as the only means to achieve good government. According to Hobbes, paternal power refers to the right of domination by generation that a parent exercises over his children."

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