mutually beneficial ways. This, Hobbes said, is why man enters into a social contract. Once man enters into this contract, there is no way to withdraw from it or rebel because without this government man would meet his demise. There is some accuracy to this idea, but I see man as acting in mutually beneficial ways not only to avoid death, but to also better benefit themselves. Like Machiavelli, Hobbes also acknowledged that the state was a creation of man as were the laws, but he takes this to the next level. Hobbes felt that morals (right and wrong) were also created, but by the rulers. By doing this, he justifies every action of the state, good or evil. This is one reason why Hobbes was so widely criticized in his day - he left no room for God. “For him, the state was a human invention organized by human beings to deal with a human problem, and its legitimacy and power rested purely on human authority.” Whatever is done is just because society is a direct creation of the state and a reflection of the ruler. The ruler dictates what is right and what is wrong. Hobbes’s view supports people like Hitler who are judge, jury, and executioner. John Locke lived primarily during the seventeenth century. Locke’s approach to politics was on the opposite end of the spectrum from Machiavelli and Hobbes even though he lived during the same era as Hobbes. While one might look at Hobbes as a cynic, one would see Locke as a noble “do-gooder”. Locke’s main goal was to preserve individual freedom. Perfect freedom to Locke was the freedom to order our actions and manage our possessions as we see fit. Locke, like Hobbes, was also influenced by the English Civil war, but he takes the opposite side from Hobbes, justifying revolt. He did, however, agree with Hobbes and Machiavelli that observation was a key element to finding the successful way to run the state and that he held the key to success.Locke, unlike H...
