Hobbes vs. Locke: Social Contract and Human Nature Compared
This essay compares and contrasts the political philosophies of Thomas Hobbes and John Locke, focusing on their respective doctrines concerning the state of nature, human equality, natural rights, and the social contract. Drawing primarily from Locke's Two Treatises of Government and Hobbes' Leviathan, the paper examines how each philosopher conceptualizes pre-political human existence, the basis of individual liberty and punishment, and the transition to organized civil society. While both thinkers agree that men are equal in the state of nature and possess certain natural rights, they differ significantly in their visions of human motivation, the role of law, and the proper form of sovereign government.
- Introduction: Overview of Hobbes and Locke's shared and divergent premises
- Locke's Doctrine of Natural Rights and the State of Nature: Locke on freedom, equality, and the law of nature
- Locke on Punishment, Injury, and Civil Government: Locke's views on punishment, reparation, and civil solutions
- Hobbes' Doctrine of Power and Human Nature: Hobbes on felicity, desire for power, and human equality
- Hobbes on Rights, Covenants, and the Sovereign: Hobbes on natural rights, covenant-breaking, and sovereignty
- Conclusion: Synthesis of key agreements and divergences between the two philosophers
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What makes this paper effective
- Anchors the comparison in direct quotations from both primary texts, grounding claims in textual evidence rather than paraphrase alone.
- Moves systematically through each philosopher's doctrine before drawing comparative conclusions, making the structure easy to follow.
- Raises genuine critical questions mid-analysis — such as whether punishment can be separated from passion — rather than simply summarizing each thinker's position.
- The conclusion synthesizes the comparison clearly, identifying specific points of agreement and divergence on equality, law, and government.
Key academic technique demonstrated
The paper demonstrates the compare-and-contrast analytical method applied to primary philosophical texts. By alternating between Locke's and Hobbes' positions on shared themes — equality, liberty, punishment, and the social contract — the author shows how two thinkers can agree on premises (natural equality, the state of nature) while reaching divergent conclusions about political authority and sovereign power.
Structure breakdown
The essay opens with a framing introduction that states its comparative purpose and quotes both thinkers' key claims. It then devotes extended sections to Locke's doctrine (natural freedom, law of nature, punishment, civil government) and Hobbes' doctrine (manners and felicity, the desire for power, rights, and the fool argument). A concise conclusion draws the two threads together, identifying the key philosophical divergences and their practical implications for government design.
Introduction
Hobbes and Locke both agree that the social contract plays a key role in determining the political stability of a state. However, despite this agreement, their philosophies are grounded in different visions of human nature. Both philosophers wrote of a period they called the state of nature — the period prior to the establishment of societies — in which man was described by individuality rather than collectivity. Both Locke and Hobbes also wrote of how man was able to leave this state and form civilized societies, though with different rules and conceptions.
This essay considers the similarities and dissimilarities of both philosophers' ideas on the social contract and the formation of civilized societies. Specifically, it compares and contrasts Locke's doctrine that "every man hath a right to … be executioner of the law of nature" with Hobbes' doctrine that "in the first place, I put for a general inclination of all mankind, a perpetual and restless desire of power after power" that ceases only in death, and that consequently everyone has an equal "right of nature."
References
Hobbes, Thomas. Leviathan. Ed. C. B. Macpherson. New York: Penguin Books, 1985.
Locke, John. Two Treatises of Government. Ed. Peter Laslett. Student Edition. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1991.
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