Question

7. Imagine a correspondence between Thomas Hobbes and John Locke . First, write a letter from Hobbes to Locke in which Hobbes argues that absolute monarchy is the ideal form of government . Then write a second letter from the perspective of John Locke in which he answers and refutes Hobbes's argument Even though both Hobbes and Locke lived during the 17th century and would not have been aware of the enlightened despots of the 18th century, be sure to mention how Hobbes and Locke might have felt about the possibility of these rulers Use specific historical evidence to support your claims. (15 points)

Answer 1

Answer:

In this letter, you should:

1 - talk about the concept of State (or Power), considering the point of view of each philosopher;

2 - the idea behind the social contract, once again understanding the perspective of Hobbes and Locke;

3 - the State limitations, and the benefits of it, once again putting the ideas of each philosopher in perspective

Now, when it comes to the 18th-century despots, I think the better approach you have in hand is using the Divine Right of the Kings, a theory first stated in the 17th century.

Explanation:

Thomas Hobbes understand the idea that human being needs a strong state, and centralized power to maintain peace. They were living in a natural state, but with constant conflicts. To create a sense of "peace", humans offer their liberty to strong power and creates a state. Because of that, absolute monarchies is the better idea. Hobbes compares the political power of the state to a Leviatan, a mythological monster with several tentacles. And to control a monster such as this, a strong hand was necessary. An absolutist government, according to him, would maintain peace.  

On the other hand, Jonh Locke stated that a limited power was a better idea because once you put limits in a power, you can control it. The theory of the limited state is understood as an attempt to maintaining the order and the power on the hands of the people. Even with a king or emperor, it was necessary that people had control of the situation to obtain prosperity.