calvin hobbes essays

calvin hobbes essays Thomas Hobbes was a very unique individual. His ideas about absolutism changed peoples live still to this day. To understand his ideas you might need to find out a little about his back round. He was born in London, England on April 5,1588. He went to college at Oxford University in England. Hobbes enjoyed going to other European countries to meet with scientists to study different forms of government. He also was an author, he wrote Leviathan, The Matter, Form, and Power of a Commonwealth Ecclesiastical and Civil. One of the most substantial books would be Leviathan. This describes how government need so be a "supernatural sea creature" to substain a safe way of lives. When you hear his ideas for the fist time its easy to completely be outraged and not believe any of it. The time you hear that "people are naturally wicked and could not be trusted to govern," you might be inclined to put the paper down and not even listen to him. His ideas might be a little insane but they come from a very realistic person. Ill gives you most of his personal ideas then I can give you the reasoning behind it. Hobbes believed in a strong government. He was one of the most influential secular justifications for absolutism. He felt that humans were basically selfish creatures who would do anything to better their position. When left alone Hobbes felt that people would act on their evil impulses. People there for should not be trusted to make decisions on their own behalf, thus the government should. He also felt that like humans, nations were selfishly motivated. Each country was in a constant battle for power and health. To show this point he has a quote w hich is, "If men are naturally in a state of war, why do they always carry arms and why do they have keys to unlock their doors?" The government was created to protect people from their own selfishness and evil. Hobbes believed in the rule of a king, because ...