Locke, Hobbes and the Good Life: The Proper Role and extent of Government

The political philosophies of Thomas Hobbes and John Locke revolve around the proper role and extent of government. Their two philosophies have extensive similarities but in the end are wholly different when it comes to the quality of life they provide for their subjects. The differences lie in whether they provide mere life or the good life for their subjects. Aristotle laid out the basic ideas of mere life versus the good life when he …showed first 75 words of 1784 total…

…showed last 75 words of 1784 total…works, in fact it is from Locke that the American conception of the right to property comes. In this sense the right to property, which includes land and a man's body, is integral to man's pursuit of happiness and the good life. Locke unlike Hobbes gives his subjects rights beyond the protection of their lives, thereby allowing his subjects more freedom, the ability to amass wealth and the means to actively pursue the good life.