Hobbes vs. Locke--Who Was Correct?

Essay by wruz6Junior High, 9th grade April 2003

download word file, 4 pages 4.0

Downloaded 84 times

John Locke believes that man is good; Thomas Hobbes believes that man is evil. One can look at man in these two ways. In Locke's view, man's intentions are benevolent by nature and can live without a central government telling them what exactly to do. Hobbes, the antagonist, believes the complete opposite--that man is brutal by nature and cannot live without a central government running everyone's life. In today's society, Hobbes's philosophy on man is much more apparent.

Everyday, without ever ceasing, newspapers all over the world report murders as if it were a daily event which cannot be stopped. It is true--murder really is a daily event that cannot be stopped. Most of the murders that occur do not even appear in the newspaper because it occurs so regularly. On March 1 of this year, a man who worked at an automobile paint shop was shot in the head just so that the murderer and his accomplice can have the wallets of the three co-workers the deceased had.

No arrests have been made yet and most likely, not much effort will be made to catch the criminals, simply because there are too many of them.

People are what they are today because evolution has chosen out the genetic combination which would let people have the highest rate of reproduction. It is what Darwin described as "natural selection." The people who are able to reproduce the most will send off more of their genes to their offspring who then in turn pass those genes on to their children. In a time where laws did not exist, the ones who were aggressive and be able to rid themselves of mating rivals were the ones who were the most successful. Thus, humans by nature are violent and selfish. Of course, there are...