It is no secret that the Declaration of Independence, one of which writers was Thomas Jefferson, was greatly affected by the political and cultural works of other people. We now know for sure that the Bible, Aristotle, and many others influenced the Declaration very much. However many argue that the primary influences arrive from the works of Thomas Hobbes and John Locke, the political figures of the seventeenth century England. Below I will try to find and examine the influences of the aforementioned persons on one of the main documents of the United States. Hbbes and Lcke Plitical philsphy was rebrn in the Renaissance and expanded upn in the Enlightenment. Thmas Hbbes and Jhn Lcke were tw men that appeared at this time, and bth changed the curse f human and gvernmental thught. Hbbes supprted the abslutism f the 17th and 18th centuries and Lckes cncept f the scial cntract inspired revlts like the French Revlutin, the Glrius Revlutin, and the American Revlutin.
Though both of the thinkers worked at the same period of time, their works were of different directions and based on different fundamental approaches to the nature of humans and the concept of governance. Hobbes, basing his reasoning on the Machiavellian theory, believed in one absolute ruler that made all of the decisions. Such a harsh force is required to get anything accomplished in such a warped world. People recognize the need of the dictator since without the strict unquestionable laws would limit a mans rights to ensure the safety of others. Basically Hobbes suggests that people provide the leader with authority. This is a sort of social contract where people agree to give a little power to a ruler who will do with that power what is necessary to keep human nature suppressed. Locke speaks of a social contract as well, just in a more positive sense.
The Essay on Fenton Hope Work People
In today's society, a job is necessary. Many people get up every morning hating what they do, but as the working class people we have to learn to live with it. Not everything we do we will like. Fenton is a worker for Seaboard World Airlines. He's an everyday person that wakes up every morning to go to work. The difference between other people and Fenton is the fact he hates his job. I say he ...
His view of government is built around the same idea of the subjects giving up some rights in order to secure themselves. This social contract is not one to preserve life, as Hobbes believed it was, but to regulate property and a mans right to own it. When men agree to a social contract similar to this, they are in essence lending their right to judge others and to govern themselves to one government. In this government, the majority holds the right to rule on behalf of the minority, and all men agree to follow and submit to the determinations and rulings of the government. Upon the analysis of the above information I came to a conclusion that Hobbes principle of the state resembled the situation before the Independence – the most of the authority belonged to England. Conversely, when working at the text of the Declaration of Independence Jefferson implemented Lockes idea, which is similar to todays democracy. Of Commonwealth by Thomas Hobbes, and Of the Limits of Government by John Locke are the two works that affected the fathers of the Declaration.
Hwever, I think that the nly essay f the really used by the funding fathers was f the Limits f Gvernment by Jhn Lcke. It wuld be difficult t verestimate the influence and imprtance f Jhn Lcke’s life and writings n the subsequent histry f the western wrld. Thmas Jeffersn referred t Lcke as ne f “the three greatest men that have ever lived, withut any exceptin.” In writing the Declaratin f Independence, Jeffersn drew heavily n the dctrines cncerning the general principles f liberty and the rights f man which Lcke set frth in his wrk; f Civil Gvernment. In particular, in the first draft f the Declaratin f Independence, Jeffersn cpied Lcke’s wrds, “Life, liberty and prperty” which were subsequently changed t “Life, liberty and the pursuit f happiness.” Lcke is mst renwned fr his plitical thery. Cntradicting Thmas Hbbes, Lcke believed that the riginal state f nature was happy and characterized by reasn and tlerance. In that state all peple were equal and independent, and nne had a right t harm anthers life, health, liberty, r pssessins.
The Term Paper on State Of Nature Hobbes Man Locke
The State of Nature As Depicted by Locke and Hobbes Introduction The period of the Renaissance and Enlightenment was perhaps the greatest turning point in the course of human progress. The flame of reason and human endeavor, which had all but burnt out over the previous one thousand years, was rekindled, and a great many people became inspired with a renewed passion for the pursuit of knowledge. ...
The state was frmed by scial cntract because in the state f nature each was his wn judge, and there was n prtectin against thse wh lived utside the law f nature. The state shuld be guided by natural law. In his work called Of Dissolution of Government John Locke wrote: [The government is dismissed when] when a prince sits up his own arbitrary will in place of the laws. This is very similar to the words of the Declaration: when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security. The whole idea of the states governing principle, which is written in the Declaration of Independence, is modified concept of the government as proposed by John Locke. Thmas Hbbes is the funder f the theries f Hbbism, which calls n abslute mnarchy in rder t deal with what he calls inherently selfish, aggrandizing nature f humanity. The Declaratin f Independence states that in rder fr the individuals t secure their unalienable rights f life, liberty and the pursuit f happiness, “Gvernments are instituted amng men, deriving their just pwers frm the cnsent f the gverned.” f Cmmnwealth culd nly be related t the thinking f the funding fathers in a mst basic way t their ideals.
Thmas Hbbes als seems t be a syllgistic thinker like Aristtle because he never thinks abve elemental, getting his mst basic lgical cnclusins frm bservatins f nature and number tw, fr thinking alng philsphical lines that dn’t agree with the Biblical perspective. Hbbes sees man as an elevated creature capable f self-gverning, self-evlving cnduct. Hbbes desn’t understand the Biblical view f fallen man, “The heart is deceitful abve all things, and desperately wicked; wh can knw it? Hbbes als fails t see the need fr a separatin f pwers in Gvernment when he talks abut an abslute mnarchy and the Cmmnwealth being the slutin t gvernment. Another very famous saying by Thomas Hobbes has found its form in the Declaration. Hobbes wrote: Where there is no common power, there is no law; where no law, no injustice. Hobbes also introduced the following concept: The only way for human beings to live together peacefully and securely, is if everyone will confer all their power and strength upon one man, or upon one assembly of men that may reduce all their wills, by majority of voices, unto one willand therein to submit their wills to his will, and their judgments to his judgment.
The Essay on State Of War Men Hobbes Man
Hobbes gives us his estimation of the nature of mankind by initially showing that all men are generally equal. The strongest man can be beaten by the weakest, if the weaker man uses some other force. When it comes to intelligence Hobbes claims men are even more equal, since all men are of equal experience, which is the only way to gain wisdom. Once Hobbes shows that all men are equals he goes on ...
Until today this concept serves as the basement for the most of the constitutions and legislative acts of the developed countries. It seems pretty clear t me when I read The Declaratin f Independence and when I read qutes frm the funding fathers and their cntempraries that it was the wrk f a cllective mind. There are many similarities in mst f them, seems that the universal understanding f thse times was present everywhere. Bibliography The Declaration Of Independence. http://chnm.gmu.edu/declaration/append.html Nov. 23, 2003. Leviathan by Thomas Hobbes. http://oregonstate.edu/instruct/phl302/texts/hobbe s/leviathan- contents.html Nov.
23, 2003. Second Treatise of Civil Government. http://www.thisnation.com/library/books/locke/2ndt reatise-c18.html Nov.23, 2003..
