A Government of Limited Powers

Paper Summary:

The paper explores Thomas Hobbes' views of natural human nature as it applies to the framework of the United States government. The paper discusses how Hobbes believed that all men are created equal, but the desire for power will inevitably lead to those that are stronger gaining power. The paper relates that the founding fathers of the Constitution recognized this fact and established a divided government with three coequal branches that had checks and balances over the powers of the other.

From the Paper:

"Thomas Hobbes believed that all men were basically created equal; equal in talent, equal in abilities, and equal in power. However inevitably there would be those that are stronger than others, and they would seek to gain all of the power. Hobbes philosophized that the eventual salvation of society would lie in the large government, the body politic, the Leviathan. (Solomon, 2005 p.619) The government being the salvation of the common man is not a foreign idea, and one need not go any further than the evening news to see examples. Hobbes being a conservative monarchist felt that the supreme power lied in the divine right of the king to rule. (Thomas-Hobbes.com, 2004 n.p.)"

Sample of Sources Used:

• Solomon, Robert C. (2005). Introducing philosophy: A text with integrated readings. New York: Oxford University Press. pages 618-622
• Thomas Hobbes 1558-1679. (2004). Thomas Hobbes website. Retrieved March 3, 2007, from http://www.thomas-hobbes.com

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