The Political Theories Of Locke And Hobbes — страница 2

their own. In addition, Hobbes felt that nations, like people, were selfishly motivated. To Hobbes, each country was in a constant battle for power and wealth. To prove his point, Hobbes wrote, ?If men are naturally in a state of war, why do they always carry arms and why do they have keys to lock their doors?? Government were created, according to Hobbes, to protect people from their own selfishness and evil. The best government was one that had the great power of a leviathan. Hobbes believed in the rule of a king because he felt a country needed an authority figure to provide direction and leadership. Because the people were only interested in promoting their own self-interests, Hobbes believed democracy would never work. Hobbes wrote, ?All man kind is in a perpetual and

restless desire for power? that stops only in death.? Consequently, giving power to the individual would create a dangerous situation that would start a ?war of every man against every man? and make life ?solitary, poor, nasty, brutish, and short.? Despite his distrust in democracy, Hobbes believed that a diverse group of representatives presenting the problems of the common person, would hopefully, prevent a king from being cruel and unfair. During Hobbes? lifetime, business began to have a big influence on government. Those who could contribute money to the government were given great status, and business interests were very powerful. In order to offset the growing power of business, Hobbes believed that an individual could be heard in government by authorizing a representative

to speak on their behalf. In fact, Hobbes came up with the phrase ?voice of the people,? which meant that one person could be chosen to represent a group with similar views. However, this ?voice? was merely heard and not necessarily listened to- final decisions lay with the king.