INTRODUCTION
This essay is aimed at discussing how human nature in Hobbes, Locke, and Rousseau impact the way that the role and function of the state is viewed. Human Nature is referred to as the essential and immutable character of all human beings. Others may refer to it as the biological or genetic factor suggesting that there is an established and unchanging human core. It highlights what is innate and natural about human life, as opposed to what human beings have gained from education or through social experience. A social contract is an agreements made either among citizens or between citizens which gives rise to the State. When the social contract involves the mutual agreement between individuals in order to gain something from the State, citizens accept the authority of the state in return for benefits which only the state, as a sovereign power, can provide. Social Relations can be defined as the relationship between two or more individuals. There are three philosophers with different views on human nature, the philosophers are Hobbes, Locke and Rousseau. Hobbes, Locke and Rousseau all have different views on human nature which impact on the conception of the roles and functions of the state. This essay will now discuss the views on human nature, social relations and the social contract according to each philosopher.
THOMAS HOBBES
Thomas Hobbes believes that human beings have an appetite for power to live luxurious lives. He believes that human beings are never content with the power they have and will always desire to have more. Hobbes believes that after human beings acquire the power they want, they begin to have other desires like fame, glory, sensual pleasure and admiration from others. ("Hobbes' Politics") Hobbes believed that humans live in a society of constant civil war-' everyman against everyman' He believed that humans were driven by non-rational appetites and, most important, instincts. Hobbes believed that all human beings were created equally. (Wolfenden)
Hobbes imagined that every human was ready to kill a fellow human besides one being stronger than the other, the coward may be balanced by his intellect or some other personal characteristic. He believed that a motive for humans was to gain power, and when two or more humans come in conflict for the same thing, they became rivals and were ready to fight each other. He said that there were basic causes for war, competition, distrust and glory. In each case, humans used cruelty to conquer each other’s areas for their self-benefit, safety, or glory. He said that without a natural influence to bring people together, humans would be in a war of every man against every man provided the appetite to fight is known. ("Social Contract Theory By Hobbes, Locke And Rousseau") He believed that conflict was the natural state of human beings and that peace was fabricated because it only existent based on beneficial mutual consensus agreements. If a group of people felt like wise interests, they would unite to form a stronger power in order to demolish people with opposite interest. Hobbes noted that all humans had an interest in their personal preservation and he felt that people submit their wills to the will of their leader to get their personal preservations satisfied, the ruler would now have complete control over them. Hobbes felt like such a leader was sovereign and that the people were subjects ("Hobbes' View of Human Nature and His Vision of Government: Philosophy") In Thomas Hobbes book, The Leviathan, he writes that state of nature is human beings living without a government and he feels it’s terrifyingly chaotic because of their constant envy and hatred. ("Sparknotes: Thomas Hobbes (1588–1679): Themes, Arguments, And Ideas") Hobbes says, unlike animals, Human goals aren’t private, humans are only happy if they are better than others. For this reason Hobbes points out that the most appropriate civil State would be one that have full domain and power over the each and every citizen, generating an authoritarian regime. ("The Social Contract Theories of Thomas Hobbes and John Locke | Law Teacher") Because Hobbes lived between the seventeen and eighteenth century, the most suitable form of sovereign State was the absolute monarchy.
JOHN LOCKE
John Locke believes that humans are free, equal, and independent, he believes that everyone is equal and everyone lived in perfect liberty however it was not a free state in the sense that anyone can do anything that pleases them and is in their best interest, other people still had to be considered. His beliefs go even farther than Hobbes by arguing that government should respect the rights of individuals. Locke believed that there was no political or sociological organization. (Tuckness) Locke also believed that humans are rational by nature. He believed that from this rationality, it is possible to understand the ‘Law of Nature’ given to humans by God which states 3 rights; To live, Liberty, and Property. (Wolfenden) He believed that there was no liberty without Law. Hobbes thought that individuals attempt to take away rights from their fellow humans.
John Locke believed that state of nature wasn’t as distressed as that of Hobbes. He thinks “It was reasonably good and enjoyable, but the property was not secure. He considered State of nature as a “golden Age”. It was a state of peace, goodwill, mutual assistance, and preservation” and he believed that humans exercised all rights that nature could give and the natural condition of humans was a state of perfect and complete liberty to conduct one’s life as ideally as possible. State of nature was a “state of liberty’ where humans are free to make their own decisions and choices, the lived relatively peaceful lives. ("Social Contract Theory | Internet Encyclopedia Of Philosophy") Property plays an important part in Locke’s argument for civil governance and the contracts it operates by. According to Locke there are restrictions as to how much property a person can own, being it no more land than he can use himself in his capacity to prevent fellow humans to have little or nothing left. Property is the anchor of Locke’s argument for social contract and civil governance. The states only function was to preserve the 3 individual rights of the law of nature. He believed that the social contract is a contract in which every individual agrees and creates the State. Jo("Social Contract Theory By Hobbes, Locke And Rousseau") hn Locke felt that property as insecure because of the lack of established laws, vacancy of impartial judges and the absence of natural power to execute natural laws. It was for these reasons that humans felt the importance to secure their property and that’s how the social contract was formulated. It was in this social contract that man did not surrender all their rights to one single individual but they only had the right to preserve and enforce the law of nature. Locke believed the state had political power and rights to create laws to preserve the three natural rights, he also thought people should be represented by the state and it should be in a democratic setting. He thought English liberalism is equal to modern liberalism. ("John Locke | Natural Law, Natural Rights, And American Constitutionalism")
JEAN-JACQUES ROUSSEAU
Jean-Jacques Rousseau views on human nature were that humans are social creatures by nature and everyone worked and was gaining something beneficial, and owned private property. Private property leads equality to disappear and corrupting humans. He believed that humans were driven by social relations and these social relations could be based on property. Jean-Jacques Rousseau wrote in his Second Discourse that the state of nature was a peaceful and quixotic time. He believed that peoples little needs were satisfied by nature and of the contrast with population and the plenty nature. Competition was uncommon. Furthermore humans were not likely to bring harm to each other because they were enriched with empathy. In the natural state of humans, individuals are just like animals, not good, not bad just very fair with no bias. Rousseau believes that humanity faced changes, their source satisfaction changed, people began to start having families, and new creations that made life easier came about, giving them more luxurious livelihoods. As a result of such changes, people started comparing themselves to others, this led to jealousy, maliciousness, egoism, and hatred. After this changes came private property which came with crucial times in the human maturation. The states began to change into states full of greed, competition, vanity, inequality, and vice. Rousseau called this the ‘fall from Grace’ out of the State of nature. ("Social Contract Theory By Hobbes, Locke And Rousseau")
Rousseau believed that after private property came into existence, social classes began to form up. Those without property began to work for the people with private property. Eventually people with private property began to see the need to form up a government which would hinder those without property from getting their hands on any property. A government was formed, using a contract, with intentions on making an agreement to create a fair state that protects equality and freeze all the inequalities private property brought. ("Social Contract Theory | Internet Encyclopedia Of Philosophy") The social contract begins with a quote by Rousseau
“Man was born free, and he is everywhere in chains”
Humans are naturally free in the state of nature, but the buildup of civilization led to weakness of others freedom. Social and economic inequalities became common, comparisons also contributed to the weakness of others. Rousseau believed that the state has to protect individuals in a civil society in order to protect liberty. He believed that people should be forced to be free. He believes that we’re all blessed with freedom and equality, but our nature has been contaminated by social history. He believed that the state represents the will of the society and the will to decide an act as a community. He believed in classical liberalism, the government only exists to protect individuals’ freedom to live life the way they want to. A government should be minimal; it should do as little as possible beyond insuring people’s individual rights are secured.
CONCLUSION
Hobbes believed that it would be a society of civil war of ‘every man against every man’ He believed in power of human reason but only as a means to an end. Humans are driven by instincts. He believed that every man was created equally. Locke believed that humans are rational by nature, and from this rationality it is possible to understand the Law of nature given by God which states the three rights which are; the right to live, the right to liberty and the right to property. He believes that there is no liberty without Law. He believed that the problem with humans is that they attempt to take away other people’s rights. Rousseau believes that humans are social creatures by nature, he believes that everyone should work, gain, and access private property. Private property has disadvantages, equality seizes to exist between people. People become more corrupt.
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