Thomas Hobbes was an English Enlightenment philosopher considered one of the founders of modern political philosophy. He is best known for his book Leviathan which he wrote in 1651. John Locke was another Enlightenment thinker who was thought to be the "father of liberalism". Each philosopher had a unique view on the nature of man, man's relationship to society, and man's relationship to government. Hobbes and Locke had many differences, but they also had similarities. In any case, both have had a great impact on today's society. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essayHobbes and Locke were both great thinkers of their time. Both made great contributions to political science and both had similar views on where power lies in a society. Hobbes and Locke both favored a popular contract, or constitution, in which the people had the power to control their own government. They were not talking specifically about democratic government, but about something as basic as a tribe or as complex as the imaginary government described by Plato in the Republic. Both also refer to a “state of nature” in which man exists without government. Hobbes and Locke talk about the dangers of the state of nature. However, Thomas Hobbes is very pessimistic on the topic while John Locke talks about the potential benefits. Like his rival John Locke, Hobbes hypothesized that in a state of nature men and women were free to pursue and defend their own interests, which resulted in a state of war in which “man's life” was “solitary, poor, bad." , brutal and short." Hobbes began work on what would become his "magnum opus" and one of the most influential books ever written: Leviathan. Thomas Hobbes argued for a natural evolution of the social contract. He also proposed a government based on an absolute monarchy, stating that chaos and other situations identified with a “state of nature” could only be avoided by a strong central government A government with the power of the biblical Leviathan (a sea creature), which would protect the people from own selfishness. He also warned of the "war of all against all" or Bellum omnium contra omnes, a motto that represented Hobbes' vision of humanity without government. Hobbes methodically lays out his thoughts on the founding of states and legitimate government. He says that the state is created by human beings, then first describes human nature. Hobbes argues that in every human being a representation of general humanity can be found and that all acts are ultimately selfish; in the state of nature, humans would behave completely selfishly. He concludes that the natural condition of humanity is a state of constant war, fear, and amorality. Only government can hold a society together. Please note: this is just an example. Get a custom article from our expert writers now. Get a Custom Essay America's Founding Fathers were greatly influenced by the works of Thomas Hobbes. Locke and the Founding Fathers, however, rejected Hobbes's contention that the government had absolute power over its subjects. Instead, the Founding Fathers embraced Locke's ideas about protecting unalienable rights and limited government in the Declaration of Independence and Constitution. Locke argued that because governments were established to protect the inalienable rights of individuals, they had no power beyond that necessary to protect those rights. In other words, a free and just government was necessarily a limited government.