Locke and Hobbes

Locke and Hobbes

Locke and Hobbes

Both Locke and Hobbes wrote during the long era of the wars of religion that followed the protestant reformation, and both based their work on a theory of the "state of nature" i.e. the natural condition of men before the creation of the state. But Hobbes was a proponent of a powerful sovereign, capable above all of maintaining order, while Locke was the great philosopher of the limited state constrained by respect for the rights of individuals. The phrase "life liberty and pursuit of happiness" of our Declaration of Independence was Jefferson's version of Locke's three basic rights of "life, liberty, and property". Hobbes wrote that the state of nature was a war of all against and in which life was "solitary, poor, nasty, brutish, and short." For him, relations between nations were still such a state of war of all against all. But the sovereign state, by ending this war, brought peace to mankind, a goal so valuable it justified giving up all rights to the state, except if the state comes to kill me, in which case I retained an unlimited right to defend myself. Locke had a milder view of the state of nature, and advocated a state limited by respect for individual rights. To consider a current example: does the threat of terrorism justify torture of prisoners with vital information, or other harsh methods of defense and repression. I think there is no doubt Hobbes would accept such measures, (although he would also have acknowledged the right of such detainees to refuse to cooperate