PHIL 1010 Chapter 1: Locke's State of Nature

• School: University of Guelph
• Department: Philosophy
• Course: PHIL 1010
• Professor: Kyle Bromhall

Document Summary

John locke"s view of the state of nature is in stark contrast to the perspective of thomas. While hobbes" view is that humankind would erupt in a war of all against all, locke believed that it would be possible to live an acceptable life with the absence of government. Locke believes that the state of nature is: a state of perfect freedom, a state of equality, bound by the laws of nature. These elements sound quite a bit like hobbes"s view, but each of these elements are interpreted very differently by locke. It is important to note that, for locke, nobody naturally has a right to rule. Natural liberty to hobbes is doing whatever is appropriate to help secure our own survival; natural liberty to locke is no more than the liberty to do what the laws of. We have a moral duty to restrict our behaviour.