Which philosophers ideas are more useful today - John Locke's or Thomas Hobbes'?

Considering the current state of governments and societies worldwide, John Locke’s philosophical ideas would be more functional and beneficial than Thomas Hobbes’. As a matter of fact, Locke’s philosophies were very influential to the point where Thomas Jefferson incorporated a few of his ideas into the Declaration of Independence. Locke held beliefs of the basic fundamentals of a democratic country. On the contrary, Thomas Hobbes’ views on governments and societies are impractical and would be considered old-fashioned in the majority of modern-day countries.

John Locke was a firm believer in natural rights and he considered them to be inalienable (Locke). The natural rights that Locke referred to included life, liberty, and property. According to him, it was possible that these rights could peacefully exist in the state of nature, given that the typical state of nature would be generally tranquil and non-disruptive. With this mindset, Locke ensured that individuals would not be forced to surrender their independence to authority. Individuals would be able to keep their natural rights without consequences.

Locke believed that absolute power did not belong to a king, and that the natural rights of people restricted the sovereign’s power. According to Locke, if a king infringed the people’s natural rights, the social contract between the people and the king would be broken (Locke). When the social contract is broken, the people are allowed to rebel and overthrow the authority. If a government is corrupt and the people do not approve of the situation, they are allowed the opportunity to set up a new form of government. John Locke’s views promote the idea to not obey authority if what the authority is doing is considered by the public to be dishonorable. Locke stated that the sovereign’s duty is to implement and defend the people’s natural rights because the king does not possess absolute power. This theory has proven to be influential throughout history, since Thomas Jefferson implemented this idea into the Declaration of Independence. Locke’s ideas have influenced the United States, one of the most powerful countries to exist, which goes to show that his philosophical views have been beneficial for others in the past and they will continue to do so in the future.  

Locke believed that the law-making legislature should be the superior government authority of England. He supported a representative form of government, particularly the Parliament (Locke). The prime minister and other officials would be under the administration of the Parliament. In modern days, even if a king or royal family still exists, they do not have much influence over the country. It is only a symbolical form of tradition and it exists in only a few countries. For example, in modern day Great Britain, Spain, and Denmark, a royal family exists, but the parliament is the dominant form of government. Nowadays, a country’s government with the absolute power of the king is neither common or popular.

Some may say that John Locke’s ideas should not be used in modern day government and society. Instead, Thomas Hobbes’ philosophies should be applied. Hobbes believed that instead of a social contract being maintained between the people and the king, the contract was to be kept among the people (Hobbes). Additionally, the public would not be allowed to rebel against the sovereign, since the sovereign had absolute power. However, this would not be a healthy idea to put into effect. Individuals should not be forced to give up their rights to an authority figure. Generally, if the authority is not consequential or problematic, the people should respect the sovereign, but not give their liberty away. If a king requires the public to give their rights to him or her, the king’s flawed government would be considered a dictatorship. Dictators generally have a bad reputation, and for the good of the world, countries should stay away from this ideology. On the other hand, Locke’s ideas do not promote dictatorship, and can be compared to early democratic views. Democracies generally impose neutral laws upon the public and attempt to create laws that will appeal to the majority of the people.

John Locke’s philosophical ideologies could prove to be useful and potentially benefit the governments and societies of countries worldwide. His views were ideal for the modern world, with the exception of his ideas about how property should influence voting. According to Locke, the representatives of the House of Commons should only be men who owned property, and voters should only be adult male property owners (Locke). However, the public should be provided with equal opportunities for them to be able to have a say in the government. Nowadays, Locke’s idea on voting would be considered as discriminatory based on people’s gender and class. If the people are provided with unequal laws, they could revolt against the sovereign, which would lead to a chaotic government. With the exception of this idea, Locke’s philosophy would be considered as being very progressive and democratic and could be applied in the majority of the parts of the world at present.



Bibliography:

Hobbes, Thomas. Leviathan. Baltimore : Penguin Books, [1968], 1968. Print.

Locke, John. Second Treatise of Government. Indianapolis : Hackett Pub. Co., [1980] ©1980, 1980. Print.