Nasty, Brutish, and Naturally Free: Thomas Hobbes, John Locke, and the Social Contract

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The political upheavals of 17th century England demanded new answers for old political questions: what is the purpose of government, how is power legitimated, and who may wield it?  Philosophers Thomas Hobbes and John Locke reasoned from the same premises, but arrived at rather different conclusions.  Balancing those conclusions is the primary task of liberal democracies to this day.

Texts:

Leviathan by Thomas Hobbes: https://gutenberg.org/files/3207/3207-h/3207-h.htm

"Second Treatise on Government" by John Locke: https://www.gutenberg.org/files/7370/7370-h/7370-h.htm

Leviathan frontispiece: https://www.worldhistory.org/image/18182/leviathan-frontispiece/

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