Tramel Russell - Four Philosophers Questions
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Political Science
Date
Dec 6, 2023
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Four Philosophers
Hobbes
1.
What significant historical event occurred prior to Thomas Hobbes’ writing of Leviathan?
What is the meaning of the title?
2.
Explain what Hobbes meant by the “state of nature” and by the “social contract”.
3.
Why did Hobbes believe that the best form of government had a king as its sovereign?
4.
How did Hobbes view the church’s relationship to government?
Locke
5.
What was John Locke’s educational and political background? How did his background
reflect Enlightenment ideas?
Born before the English Civil War, John Locke pursued science and medicine at Oxford
University, ultimately becoming a professor. During the Glorious Revolution of 1685, he
supported the Protestant Parliament in their opposition to King James II, who was Roman
Catholic.
6.
Although Locke in Two Treatises of Government agreed with Hobbes about the necessity
of a social contract in a brutish state of nature, what were his disagreements regarding
man’s natural rights and the operation of the social contract? How did he view the
power of the king?
Locke disagreed with Hobbes' view of man's natural rights, arguing that they included life,
liberty, and property. He also believed that the social contract was not just an agreement to
surrender rights to a ruler, but rather a mutual agreement between individuals to form a
government that would protect those natural rights. Additionally, Locke viewed the power of
the king as limited by the consent of the governed and that if a ruler violated the natural rights
of the people, they had the right to rebel and form a new government.
7.
What were Locke’s views on property and its relationship to government?
John Locke believed that property was a natural right derived from a person's labor and that
individuals had the right to own private property. He believed that the government's role was to
protect these property rights and enforce contracts, but it should not interfere with the natural
rights of individuals. He argued that people must enter into a social contract with the
government to protect their property, but if the government failed to do so, it could be
overthrown. Locke's views on property and its relationship to government were influential in
the development of liberalism.
8.
Explain Locke’s ideas about representative government. What role did property play in
his conception of voting rights?
John Locke believed in representative government where the people elect people to make
decisions for them. The elected officials were to act in the best interest of the people
who had elected them. Property played a significant role in his conception of voting
rights. He believed that only those who owned property should have the right to vote as
it showed that they had a stake in society and would be responsible in the decisions they
make. Those who did not own property were seen as not invested in society and should
not get a vote.
Montesquieu
9.
Describe Montesquieu’s family, educational, and political background.
10.
In The Spirit of the Laws, how did Montesquieu differ from Hobbes and Locke in his
beliefs about the state of nature? What did he mean by “the state of war” and its
relation to “the state of society”?
11.
According to Montesquieu, what was the main purpose of the government? What did he
determine was the best form of government? Why?
12.
How did Montesquieu somewhat misinterpret the exercise of political power in
England?
Rousseau
13.
Explain Rousseau’s early life, education, and first successful writing experience.
14.
How did Rousseau view a man in a “state of nature”? What, according to Rousseau, was
the influence of society on man, particularly the ownership of property? How did he
disagree with Hobbes, Locke, and Montesquieu regarding the idea of the social contract?
15.
Explain Rousseau’s ideas about a direct democracy and political power. How did he view
religion’s relationship to the state?
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