Analysis Of John Locke s The Leviathan Essay

Systems of government across the globe are utilized to various extents. Similarly to John Locke’s vision of government, the United States stands by a system of Democracy. This means that a government’s main objective is to improve the lives’ of the people. In John Locke’s book, Two Treatises, he states that if a government official extends their power in any way other than to better citizens’ lives, they must be replaced by the people (77). Thomas Hobbes, in The Leviathan, explains that it is human nature to always have self-interest: â€Å"The right of nature†¦is the Liberty each man hath to use his own power, as he will himself, for the preservation of his own Nature; that is to say, of his own Life,† (91). This brings argument to what the benefits of forming a government are and if it is possible for for a societies’ government to work for the people despite human nature. A modern example that allows us to conceptualize these two theories can be seen with Hillary Clinton, and her use of private emails. It is the people’s right to evaluate this situation and see if this act has broken individuals rights, or if it her intentions as a leader are strictly for the good of the people. The two philosophers, Locke and Hobbes, would approach this situation in two parallel ways. One would say she must have sent those emails to advance herself personally, while the other would first evaluate to see if the intentions were for the good of the people, and if not, proceed to remove HillaryShow MoreRelatedThomas Hobbes And John Locke s Leviathan And Second Treatise Of Government1852 Words   |  8 PagesHobbes vs. Locke This paper will compare and contrast the beliefs of Thomas Hobbes and John Locke expressed in Leviathan and Second Treatise of Government. 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