Realist Law and Order Liberalism versus Optimistic, Market Liberalism - Essay Example

d restriction of government rights with the help of the society that has the power to remove those leaders who are unable to act according to the social contract (Vaughn 311–326).Thomas Hobbes alludes occurrence of conflicts in the society to antagonism and rivalry that result in the attack of others for selfish interests so as to receive praise and protect their reputation among their friends, colleagues and the society (Hobbes 264). He further argues that even when human beings lived in a state of nature they still experienced a lot of suffering therefore the presence of rulers and rules would help alleviate the suffering.

This paper therefore explores the social contracts postulated by both Locke and Hobbes and tries to examine the manner in which they are both attributed to the development of social liberalism. The paper will therefore explore the various postulates put forward by both Locke and Hobbes and examine the various weaknesses and strengths evident in each of the social contract theories and the challenges that are likely to occur as a result of the social contract theories. According to Hobbes, man is not a social animal by nature.

He argues that the society is incapable of surviving on its own, it has to be supported the authority of the state. This is contrary to Locke who believes that a human being is a social animal by nature. According to Hobbes, in the natural state human beings are open and autonomous hence have the right to do whatever they want and are not accountable to anyone. This right is a basic moral fact, rather than any duty people have to do according to a law. The priority of individual right reflects our separateness, our lack of moral ties to one another.

According to Hobbes, one consequence of this is that the state of nature is a “war of all against all”: human beings are naturally at war with one another. Individuals create societies and governments to escape this condition. Society is not natural to man, but is the