Thomas Hobbes
Thomas Hobbes was a famous philosopher from England whereby he dwelt much on philosophical ideas in politics. He was born on the 5th day of April 1588.
Hobbes was very instrumental in developing some political theories which were mainly geared towards protecting the sovereignty and rights of citizens. He also emphasized the importance of practicing equity to all and sundry. His fight for the political right of common citizens led to the birth of what is contemporarily known as civil society. His political theories elaborated the significance of empowering men against the state machinery.
He had a strong conviction that no single legitimate government would come into force without the approval of all men. Furthermore, Hobbes strongly felt that the law governing a country as a constitutional document was not supposed to suppress its citizens but rather fight for their well-being. People were supposed to have liberty in exercising the provisions of the constitutional law without being prohibited to do so. In other words, Hobbes advanced the political theory of free will by all men as far as they did not go against the laws of the land.
Besides elevating ideas on political theory, Hobbes was also a remarkable figure in other areas of interest like physical sciences in Physics. In humanities, he made some contributions to history and religious studies. Philosophical anthropology also benefited from the contributions of Hobbes when theorized that there exists profound self-centeredness as far as human nature is concerned. This philosophy was later advanced and gave a new dimension to the concept of materialism.
John Locke
Similar to Hobbes, John Locke was a philosopher with his roots in England. He was born on the 29th day of 1632 and is highly cherished as the key architect of the liberal movement. He was well known as one of the polished thinkers of his time. Apart from being a philosopher, he also doubled as a physician.
His ideas and theories on liberalism were later widely used in other civilizations to achieve political liberty. For instance, when America was declaring its independence, Locke’s ideologies were greatly applied. One such theory which was put into practice by the time America was fighting for its independence was on republicanism and the need to be liberal politically.
As a physician, he came up with the theory related to the human mind. This has been reflected in modern-day applications when issues surrounding personal identity and the ability to uplift personal ego are concerned. Further understanding of the concept of being oneself was later expounded by Locke when he stated that mankind may not be a conscious being especially regarding the mind which he observed was an empty entity right from birth and as such, consciousness would only be gained as one goes through experiences in life. According to Locke, the human mind is blank and it is only filled after undergoing some perceptive experience in life.
Conclusion
As can be noted from the two thinkers, they were similar yet different in many ways. For example, both Hobbes and Locke were political theorists. While Hobbes concentrated on the need for all men to be treated fairly and justly, Locke pursued the ideology of liberalism which sought to enhance the existence of liberal governments operating on an autonomous platform.
On the other hand, Hobbes mostly emphasized in his political theories the need to empower ordinary man and he argued that no single just government was entitled to come into power without the unanimous consent of the people. Locke however, deviated from this perspective and theorized that the ability to perceive through our senses is what fills the human brain which is otherwise blank from the time of birth. Finally, both Thomas Hobbes and John Locke were regarded as exemplary thinkers of their times who left a mark in the civilization of man.