Question

How does Marx's understanding of politics differ from Hobbes'? How do their understandings of human nature differ? How are these two things related?

Answer 1

While Hobbes suggests that government is a system that’s arranged among people with equal rights in order to establish peace and safety in the society. Through the social contract, he suggests that people need to sacrifice some of their rights to the states in order for the state to protect people and their property against each other. This would mean that Hobbes has a more positive view on the formation and running of the government. Marx on the other hand suggests through his conflict theory that the society is in a perpetual conflict for the limited resources available where social order is maintained not through consensus but through domination. This would mean that there is no mutual transfer of rights as Hobbes suggests but there is oppression and domination of the minority by the majority in terms of resource allocation, rights and pursuit of life opportunities.

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