Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 38

Essay Example According to him, natural laws are governed by the fact that man needs to fight for his survival. It is natural for man to seek peace in his life but if he gets into conflict with others due to competition, diffidence and glory, then he has the right to defend himself in order to restore his peace. With competition, he fights for gain, with diffidence, he fights for safety and with glory, he fights for his own reputation. Thus, although he seeks peace and knows he deserves it without hurting anybody, if he is threatened of such peace, then he can wage war in order to get his peace back. Hobbes also contends that a person’s rights, when renounced or transferred to others, are entered into social contracts, such as when people entrust their rights to a ruler. This means that all persons must mutually agree to transfer their right to a political sovereign or in Hobbes’ term, the state of Leviathan. It is also agreed that this state punishes violators of the agreement to ob ey the laws of society. The ruler’s power should come from the natural right of people to live in peace. Similarly, Locke believes that man is governed by natural law, but goes further in saying that it is the manifestation of human reason which restricts the egoism of pure self-interest such as having one’s individual peace and liberty, and promoting more sociable benefits. Locke proposes that man has three basic natural rights: to life, liberty and property. When people entrust a leader to these, it should not be absolute but only partial. Rulers are also vulnerable to the temptation of hoarding power. People are comfortable obeying the government as long as their individual rights are protected, thereby enhancing their freedom. Should they feel that it fails to do so, or that government violates their rights, they would feel the need to fight against it to regain their rights. Aristotle believes that the state should cater to the