Usefulness Of John Locke's and Thomas Hobbes Philosophy Today

          John Locke and Thomas Hobbes were both philosophers that greatly changed the views of English citizens through the use of a social contract, which meant a citizen giving up right for protection under the king. Although Locke and Hobbes shared this idea, Lockes deeper understanding of a social contract would make him more useful in today's world.   

          As previously avowed, John Locke shared the idea of a social contract with Thomas Hobbes, but Hobbes has an alternate view of the details of the contract than Locke. Hobbes believed that in order to create such a contract, a citizen must give up a large amount of there freedom to get a proper amount of protection from a higher power. However, John Locke believed that in order to create a trusted bond between the citizens and the monarchy, the citizens should be able to over thought the government in the case of a decision which would rapidly send the country into political shock. An example of this would be the king deciding to devalue all of the currency. 

          This philosophy from John Locke would be best for today's world because it is already in use by the United States of America. This was written into the Constitution, which was heavily influenced by the writers and philosophers of the 17th century. Thomas Hobbes point of few on the social contract would be less useful in the world that we live in because the ideas that he was trying to express, copied or  got close to some of those seen in the past century's most successful and unsuccessful dictatorships in that people would freely give out there individual freedom to be given a non-guaranteed theory or protection by the government. 

          As philosophers of the 17th century, Thomas Hobbes and John Locke shared a belief in the idea of a social contract between the government and the people. Despite that, John Locke would still have a stronger connection with today's political system in that we as a country have stated these ideas in the foundation of our democracy. 

Critiques of John Locke and Thomas Hobbes

          As the question of which philosopher is more useful is arisen, there will also be critiques of them. I do agree with the critiques that are presented in the given pieces of evidence. This is because  all of the points put against both John Locke and Thomas Hobbes support the claim that these men we revolutionary of there times and that they presented the ideas that would be expressed in modern day politics.

John Locke and Thomas Hobbes In the Modern Day

          John Locke and Thomas Hobbes have both passed their political belief among the newer generations. Locke in that freedom should be given at birth and never taken away and Hobbes in that an individual's freedom may be oppressed for the greater good. 

          John Locke can best be represented in the modern political system by Wendell Berry. Berry is a modern activist, cultural critic, and writer. Wendell also delivered a speech at the University of Kentucky in 1968 regarding the Vietnam war and the draft that it created. During his speech, he stated "We seek to preserve peace by fighting a war, or to advance freedom by subsidizing dictatorships, or to 'win the hearts and minds of the people' by poisoning their crops and burning their villages and confining them in concentration camps ... I would be against any war." These ideas are very similar to John Locke's in that Locke changed ' the way we think about ourselves and our relation to the world we live in, to God, nature, and society. '
          Thomas Hobbes, on the other hand, can be represented by a different political leader, who is Micheal Hardt. Hardt is most famous for the co-authoring of the book Empire which is also known as the “Communist Manifesto of the 21st Century.” Micheal Hardt shares similar ideas with Thomas Hobbes through the use of his book Empire, in that Hobbes has a book, Leviathan, which does express resembling ideas to both Empire and The Communist Manifesto. The beliefs that are widely manifested are that people would give up their right to create a better society which has proven not to work in the past.   

John Locke and Thomas Hobbes Photo Gallery

Above - Description of

both philosophers

Left - John Locke's essay

Two Treaties of Government

Right - Thomas Hobbes novel 

Leviathan   

                                                               

The Impact The English Civil War and the Glorious Revolution Had On the Development of John Locke and Thomas Hobbes Philosophy

The English Civil War had affected Thomas Hobbes because of his following for kings to have an absolute rule over there people because the war was fought over who should rule England. John Locke was positively affected by the glacier revolution in that increase the power of the British Parliament which he favored.

  More on both John Locke and Thomas Hobbes Philosophy refer to the video below:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=04YaC5mdRr8

How John Locke and Thomas Hobbes Religious Views Influenced Their Thoughts On Government and Society

Thomas Hobbes didn’t have a stable religion that he followed but from the information that he took in during his younger years, it could’ve affected him in his political views. Hobbes wrote a book defending the powers of a king and the people that they control, showing how he believed in that ultimate power.

John Locke also did not have a defined religion but he tended to side with the protesters of parliament who were against the Roman Catholic King James II. This ended up influencing Locke to publish his Two Treatises of Government.

          To find out more regarding each mans religious views refer to the link below   https://yalefreepress.sites.yale.edu/news/hobbes-locke-and-tradition-religious-toleration