Question

Political Thought

How does Hobbes's view of man differ from that of Locke and Rousseau? How does this lead to Hobbes's preference for a monarchy and Locke and Rousseau's preference for democracy? Be specific and support your thoughts.

Answer 1

• According to Hobbes, the state of nature represented the interactions of human beings with each other in the absence of any kind of relations of political authority. In other words the state of nature represented a state of war. Hobbes believed that the human beings in the state of nature were concerned only with their desires.
• The human nature here was selfish. No person was superior over the other. Hobbes further said that the desire to acquire power never ended and thus it aggravated the state of war where everyone was trying to ensure that no one will stop them from fulfilling their desires of glory.
• Thus creating a situation favorable for long-term projects, like farming, industry, etc. became impossible. It was a situation of continuous fear and violence.Such a state called for some laws to be enforced.
• Hence, the need arose to have an authority that would enforce the laws of nature and help man to fulfill his desires in a more efficient way. This led to the signing of the Social Contract between men leading to the formation of a state as well as a sovereign.
• In such a state or commonwealth, as stated by Hobbes, men authorized a particular individual or a group of individuals to perform all actions. Moreover men also gave up certain rights on a condition that such rights were also given up by the entire multitude.
• Hobbes sovereign had absolute authority. His judgments and actions could not be questioned as this sovereign was not a part of the social contract.
• Opposing this sovereign meant opposing oneself as this sovereign represented the people itself. The only right that men had against this sovereign was the right to life or self-preservation.
• Unlike, Hobbes for whom the state of nature is a state of war, Locke's state of the nature is the state of peace, Good Will, Mutual Assistance, and Preservation.'His theory brings out that man is a wise, sociable being who can judge the ill effects of going to war . It can be noted that Locke's has positive view of the state of nature and of human beings.
• Locke brings in the concept of private property which in all probability leads to inequalities of wealth. In order to ensure the security of the natural laws, and the inequality of wealth, man to enter into a community governed by a set of laws and the government.
• Locke disbelieves in censorship by the state, and says that state must exist and function separately from the people. The main goal of state is to ensure personal safety and protection of personal property rights.
• If it fails so he empowered people to revolt against the state, and, to go for a revolution if it abuses its authority.
• Hence Locke's view of government, which is not absolute, and is against that of Hobbes. The government's powers are limited to an extent where it starts encroaching on public good.
• Rousseau's theory on the state of nature shows in progressive stages how men, from behaving like animals, transform themselves into a society. This society, according to Rousseau, is not civil at all as it gives rise to more corruption and negative feelings in Man's mind.
• Thus Rousseau's view point differs from Hobbes or Locke who believe in the transformation of men from the state of nature to a more 'civil' society. Rousseau in his theory favours men in the state of nature in which they only have natural differences rather than having political, social or economic differences.
• But "however we have no moral liberty in the state of nature, because we have not yet developed a moral sense. This moral sense can only be born in society, and we need to establish a society in which, not only do we preserve the liberty of the state of nature, but also provide the conditions for us to achieve moral freedom."
• So in order to solve this problem men enter into a social contract. The new political entity which is formed as a result of this contract reflects and works for the general will.
• This general will leads to the protection of individual liberty which as a corollary leads to the removal of economic, social and political inequality. Thus; Rousseau says; that it is only because of this general will that the sovereign is indivisible, inalienable and infallible.
• Because of this people are ready to lay down even their right to self-preservation. This concept, as clearly seen, is a stark contrast to Hobbes and Locke's theory.
• Rousseau imagines that the innate motives and inclinations of humans are pure and uncorrupted, but the invention of society, its laws, and the force of the government introduces violent tendencies and all the other vices and negative qualities seen.
• Hence, he is famous for the quote "Man is born free, but everywhere is in chains". Rousseau advocates for a democratic form which will enact the "general will" of the people, on the assumption that deep down our pure motives will make this successful.
• Hobbes takes the opposite view, and is famous for the quote that life is "nasty, brutish, and short". In the state of nature, Hobbes imagines a world where no human is safe, because anyone can kill anyone else at any time. Even the weakest human can sneak up on the strongest while he is sleeping and kill him.
• He also assumes humans have an inevitable lust for power and money that constantly drives them to such behavior. In order to counter the danger that every human faces in this state of nature (no matter how strong they are), in what he describes as "a flash of reason", the state- the Leviathan- is formed. This giant body necessarily has one figure, the sovereign, at its head.
• Locke believes that man is by nature a "social animal", and that in the state of nature he is generally good and wants to interact, trade, discuss, and otherwise live productively with other humans. As a result, these humans gather together and (using their innate reason) form a "social contract", a set of rules and laws they all agree to live by for mutual benefit.
• He considers the existence of the constitution of England at his time, and the fact that it is recognized as wise and profitable, as an expression of the innate reasoning abilities he assumes man has in the state of nature. He belief in this reasoning ability leads him to support democracy, instead of monarchy, which in contrast to Hobbes he views as the "arbitrary" rule of one man.