ASSIGNMENT

MODERN WESTERN POLITICAL PHILOSOPHY

SUBMITTED TO: PROF. DR. RANA EIJAZ AHMAD
SUBMITTED BY: HAFIZA ALISHBA SHAHZAD
ROLL NO. 06
BS 6TH SEMESTER (ADP)
DEPARTMENT OF POLITICAL SCIENCE
THOMAS HOBBES (1588-1679):

Thomas Hobbes was alive during a period of intense political unrest. The
English Civil War (1642–1651) took place during his reign, with the
parliamentarian supporters of Oliver Cromwell and the Royalists siding
with King Charles 1. There was a widespread belief in the divine right of
kings, and absolute monarchy was the norm.
"Hobbes' political philosophy aimed to maintain law and order to prevent
descent into the state of nature because he saw violence and conflict as
evidence of the dangers of the natural state." WILL DURANT: The
philosophical narrative.

State of nature:
The concept of the state of nature as described by Thomas Hobbes is
explained in Leviathan. A hypothetical setting called "state of nature" is
used to investigate what life may be like in the absence of all
governmental authority. In the natural world, people lived in perpetual
fear of being hurt by others and in a state of mistrust where they could
not rely on one another for their safety or well-being. He described it as a
state of constant conflict in which everyone is at odds with one another. In
the natural world, life was harsh, brutish, and fleeting.
Human nature:
Self-interest is inherent and exclusive to humans. Not only are humans
responsible, but they also possess the ability to logically and effectively
seek their own interests. In the condition of nature, bellum omnium contra
omenes means "war of all against all." Judd Hermon claims that Hobbes
believed that human nature could not alter and that so there could be no
peace or security. They are innately self-centered. (Judd Hermon: Plato
through the present.)
Birth of sovereign:
Humans created the social compact in order to stop war amongst all
groups. Consequently, in return for safety, individuals cede some of their
freedoms to a sovereign known as Leviathan. When it comes to the strong
sovereign, subjects have no rights. For this reason, it is said that Hobbes
advocated absolutism.
• The sovereign has the right to use force to uphold the law:
Government without a sword is merely talk and has no power to protect a
person at all. Law is reliant on the approval of the sovereign. Author
Thomas Hobbes' Leviathan.
• The requirement for a sovereign to avert a return to the natural
state: There cannot be stability, security, or peace in the absence of an
absolute ruler.
• Regarding obligations and rights: Subjects are solely entitled to
security. They give Leviathan all other rights.
• Right to revolt: When the sovereign is unable to guarantee security,
subjects may rise up in rebellion. It is acknowledged that the subjects'
duties to the king extend only as long as the authority enabling him to
defend them does.
• Dissecting the notion of monarchs' divine rights: Hobbes
maintained that no one could pretend to speak with God or act as God's
spokesperson since God is wholly supernatural. Thus, he supported only
sovereign power.

CRITICISM OF HOBBES’S CONCEPT:

1. An absolute government has the potential to become despotic:
liberty is impossible when the legislative and executive branches are
combined into one body. Montesquieu. Absolute power corrupts utterly,
and power corrupts. Acton, Lord
2. The government should safeguard individual freedoms in
addition to ensuring security: In all states of created beings capable of
law, where there is no law, there is no freedom. Therefore, the goal of law
is not to abolish or restrict, but to protect or expand freedom. Locke, John
3. A population cannot be controlled by fear.

CONTEMPORARY RELEVANCE:
The social compact proposed by Hobbes is still a cornerstone of
contemporary political philosophy. A fundamental tenet of modern
democratic governments is the idea that people willingly give up their
rights and freedoms in return for protection, either expressly or implicitly.
In contemporary states, people accept laws and regulations that restrict
their freedom in exchange for safety and security, therefore this principle
is accepted.
Hobbes promoted the idea of a centralized government to stop society
from reverting to its natural form. These days, the state that keeps society
from disintegrating into chaos is this concentrated power. Strong
authorities strike a balance between the exercise of authority and
personal freedom, particularly when it comes to counterterrorism and
national security initiatives. A cornerstone for all modern states to prevent
chaos is Hobbes' influence on legal frameworks. Hobbes' theories provide
a critical framework for understanding and addressing various
contemporary issues related to governance, security, and human
behavior. Hobbes claimed that human nature is nasty, selfish, brutal, and
poor. This concept is relevant in understanding civil conflicts, wars, and
terrorist attacks. These social evils assure that Hobbes' conception about
human nature was correct.

JOHN LOCKE (1632-1704):

John Locke, sometimes referred to as the father of liberalism, is one of the
most important Enlightenment intellectuals. He defended the idea that all
people are naturally free and equal against the idea that God created
everyone subservient to a monarch in his two treatises on government.
He maintained that human rights, including the rights to property, life,
and liberty, are fundamental human rights that are unaffected by the laws
of any given community.
Since everyone is equal and autonomous, nobody should ever hurt
another person in their life, liberty, or belongings.
Political context: There was a lot of social unrest and political unrest at
the time. The English Civil War happened when he was a small boy.
Locke's support for limited government was further strengthened by the
historic revolution of 1688, which resulted in the toppling of King James 2
and the formation of a constitutional monarchy.
The Enlightenment school of thought, which prioritized reason and science
over conventional wisdom, had an impact on Locke. Bertrand Russell: A
Western Philosophical History
• State of nature: A golden age that reflected humanity as it naturally
exists. There was total liberty but no security for property.
Why Private property is important: when man combined his labor and
raw materials, private property was developed throughout time.

i. The lack of set laws was the reason it became insecure.

ii. Lack of a neutral judge
iii. The inability of natural force to carry out natural law
The only authority the government has is to protect private property.
Thinker John Locke.

Lockean social contract: Man has only given the sovereign in the
natural state the authority to uphold law and order. The unalienable rights
to property, liberty, and life continue to exist. With their voluntary
establishment of a political society and government, men had three
advantages over the natural state:
i. Laws;

ii. Judges carrying out laws

iii. The executive branch's ability to impose these laws
In all states of created beings capable of law, where there is no law, there
is no freedom. Therefore, the goal of law is not to abolish or restrict, but to
protect or expand freedom. Locke, John

• Concept of natural law: The notion of natural law pertains to a system

of moral and ethical precepts that are innate to human nature and can be
ascertained via rational thought. Creating a limited government and
respecting each person's right to life, liberty, and property are two of
these ideals.
• Purpose of the government: The government's mission is to defend
and preserve men's inherent rights. Government-made laws are only
legitimate when they uphold fundamental rights.
• System of government: John Locke favored constitutional liberalism
as a type of government. He thought that laws should be the ultimate
authority in government.
1. Consent of the governed: According to him, the sole source of legal
authority is the permission of the people being governed.
2. Protection of natural rights: Man's inherent liberty consists in his
freedom from all earthly powers, his independence from human.
3. Right to overthrow the government: Subjects have the right to
overthrow the government when it is not doing its job and defending
the cardinal rights.

IMPACT AND LEGACY:

The US Declaration of Independence includes the following: To

determine the relationship between the two, one need simply compare
the Second Treaty of Government and the American Declaration of
Independence. Judd Harmon: Plato to the Present
We believe that these two facts—that all men are created equal and that
they are entitled to certain unalienable rights, including the pursuit of
happiness, life, and liberty—are self-evident. Jefferson Thomas
FRATERNITE, EEGALITE, LIBERTE—a key catchphrase of the French
Revolution

CONTEMPORARY RELEVANCE:
John Locke's ideas are still very relevant today because they serve as the
foundation for contemporary democratic government. Modern political
and legal systems are based on his ideas of religious tolerance,
government by consent, natural rights, and the division of powers. Even if
Locke's beliefs have been questioned in some cases, especially when it
comes to property rights, his influence can still be seen in the continued
dedication to democratic values and human dignity.

JEAN JACQUES ROUSSEAU (1712-1778):

During a period of intense intellectual and political turmoil in the West,
Rousseau emerged as a leading figure of the enlightenment. His writings
The Social Contract, which lays out the foundation for a just political order,
and Discourse on Inequality, which contends that property is the source of
inequality, are essential reading for everyone interested in contemporary
politics.
Political context: The Enlightenment was an 18th-century philosophical
movement that placed a strong emphasis on reason, individual liberties,
and defiance of established authority. Rousseau disagreed with the
rationalism and individualism that characterized modern philosophy.
There were intellectuals like Diderot, Montesquieu, and Voltaire. They
talked about doing away with absolute monarchy and absolute rule.

• State of nature: Life in the natural condition was blissful, with

perfect equality among men, before the social compact. Human
requirements altered as a result of population growth, and people began
to live in small families and groups. The division of labor within and
between families led to the creation of leisure time and made living
easier. People's comparisons of themselves to others during leisure time
eventually gave rise to social ideals like pride, humiliation, envy, and
disdain. Above all, Rousseau believed that the development of private
property was the keystone that caused humanity to fall from grace.
Property bred inequality, rivalry, and greed. But now, Rousseau views
private property as an unavoidable evil. (As stated in the Inequality
Debate) Man is born free, yet he is bound everywhere he goes.

• The social compact and the collective will: According to Rousseau,

the development of private property marked the collapse of humanity.
They gave up their rights to the collective will rather than to a single
person for this reason. Modernization caused the original freedom,
happiness, equality, and liberty that existed in pre-social contract
primitive civilizations to disappear. Since the general will creates the state
and laws, those that do not follow the general will should be repealed. He
was a supporter of blind faith in the masses.
The collective will is always correct. Rousseau
The social compact gives man civil liberty and proprietorship over
whatever he has, but it takes away his natural liberty and unrestricted
right to do everything he wants and succeeds in. Rousseau "Whoever
refuses to obey the general will be forced to do so by the entire body; this
means merely that he will be forced to be free" This suggests that it is in
the best interests of the people to be forced to obey the public will.
• Popular sovereignty: Rousseau contends that the people as a whole,
not just a king or other single ruling body, possess true sovereignty. The
people are the supreme authority and the source of all rightful political
power.
• Direct democracy: Rousseau is a supporter of a direct democracy in
which the populace takes an active part in drafting laws.

Contemporary relevance: The ideas of Rousseau on sovereignty

are still applicable in today's political debate and actions. Modern
democratic principles are influenced by Rousseau's emphasis on direct
participation and popular sovereignty. He promoted direct or indirect
public participation in the legislative process, which is the cornerstone of
contemporary democracy. But the idea of general will is vague and
malleable, which begs the question of whose definition of the common
good wins out.