He reasons that the populace will obey and abide by the laws of the government in fear of a punishment by the sovereign. For Hobbes on the other hand, government must exist in order to control natural law. Since natural law is good, and not evil for Locke, it is therefore the role of government to preserve natural law. In general, he believes that it is beneficial for humans to follow natural law. Locke does make the claim that war is still necessary however only to fight off a man who makes war against him. This is displaying his belief that men and good by nature and can coexist happily according to his interpretation of natural law without the need for constant struggle and war. In contrast however, he states that men are naturally in a state of peace and freedom. In partial agreement with Hobbes, Locke also believe no one is superior in the state of nature. He suggests this state of war is a state of equality because even the weakest can muster enough strength to kill the strong.In Hobbes’s opinion, no one is superior, because they are all equal in their level of evil. The main thing that Hobbes and Locke can seem to agree on, with respect to natural law, is that all men are equal in nature.Īccording to Hobbes, this equality exists in a state of anarchy or war in order for survival every man has a right to live and as a result to obtain anything he needs to survive. Locke understands man to be capable individuals able to think rationally and have the desire to coexist peacefully.Hobbes and Locke disagree on mankind’s natural characteristics, but dealing with natural law their degree of their disagreement grows much larger with little room for concurrence. He sees man to be governed by logical reason. Conversely, Locke views mankind’s natural characteristics much more optimistically. He also says that men cannot believe that there are others as or more wise than themselves, expressing his discontent with how selfish men are. It is obvious he does not view man in a high fashion. Hobbes describes the life of man as “solitary, poor, nasty, brutish, and short”. Hobbes and Locke see mankind’s natural characteristics in two very different ways. Locke therefore believes that government is necessary in order to preserve natural law, and on the contrary, Hobbes sees government as necessary in order to control natural law. Contrastingly, Locke sees natural law and the state of nature as a place of equality and freedom for all. Hobbes positions himself with the view that the state of nature is a state of war where every man is for himself and loyalty to another being will only bring dismay.

Compare and contrast essay