Hobbes, Locke, and Rousseau Overview

• Law of Nature 

  • Hobbes: 

    • The law of nature is about self-preservation at all costs

    • Humans in the state of nature = selfish, fearful, competitive

    • Life is “solitary, poor, nasty, brutish, and short”

    • Law of nature = rules discovered by reason to stay alive

    • These laws don’t really work without a strong authority

      • You need a powerful government (absolute ruler) to enforce order

  • Locke: 

    • The law of nature is about natural rights and moral limits

    • Humans are rational and capable of cooperation

    • State of nature is mostly peaceful (but imperfect)

    • Don’t harm others in their:

      • Life

      • Liberty

      • Property

    • Government exists to protect natural rights, not control everything.

  • Rousseau: 

    • The law of nature is less about rules and more about natural goodness

      • Humans are naturally:

        • Free

        • Equal

        • compassionate (pity)

        • Society (especially inequality and property) corrupts us

    • Follow natural instincts:

      • Self-preservation

      • empathy for others

    • A good society should reflect the “general will” and restore freedom/equality.

Context: 

• Hobbes: 

  • Lived during the English Civil War

  • Saw chaos, violence, instability

  • Believes humans need strong control

• Locke:

  • Lived during the Glorious Revolution

  • Peaceful overthrow → government can be changed

  • Believes in rights + limited government

• Rousseau

  • Pre-French Revolution thinker

  • Saw inequality and class division growing

  • Believes society is corrupting people

Thinker: Human Nature: Law of Nature: Role of Government:

Hobbes Selfish, violent Survival rules     Strong control (absolute power) 

Locke       Rational, cooperative Protect natural rights Limited government

Rousseau Good, compassionate    Freedom + empathy   Reflect general will

• Hobbes: “Survive”

• Locke: “Respect rights”

• Rousseau: “Stay naturally good”

Hobbes: Humans are naturally selfish and driven by fear, which leads to a violent state of nature where life is insecure and chaotic. The law of nature is based on survival—do whatever it takes to stay alive. Because there is no effective rule of law, people agree to give up their freedoms to a powerful ruler. Government is legitimate as long as it maintains order and prevents a return to chaos. 

• Humans are dangerous, so we need strong authority to survive.

Locke: Humans are rational and capable of cooperation, so the state of nature is mostly peaceful but lacks fairness in enforcing rules. The law of nature, based on reason, says people must respect natural rights: life, liberty, and property. People form governments to better protect these rights. A government is legitimate only if it protects rights, and citizens can overthrow it if it fails.

• Humans have rights, so government must protect them.

Rousseau: Humans are naturally good, free, and compassionate, and the state of nature is peaceful and equal. The law of nature comes from basic instincts like self-preservation and empathy rather than strict rules. Society introduces inequality and corruption, so people form a social contract to create a community guided by the general will. Government is legitimate when it reflects the collective will of the people.

• Humans are good, but society corrupts them, so we must rebuild equality.

Human nature, state of nature, law of nature, rule of law, transition to civil society from rule of law, govt legitimacy in civil society from the perspective of hobbes, locke and rousseau