Government exists to provide structure to any society this is often done in the form of laws

This brings up the debate on the ideal balance between order and freedom

Unlimited freedom and absolute order have many drawbacks

One difference in the political philosophies is how the authors of that philosophy see the human race

Hobbes was one of the first political philosophers In Leviathan (1651) Hobbes wrote that man was inherently evil Because of this man needed to be

ruled by an absolute monarch that would have the power to curb the evil impulses of the people

Hobbes felt that the purpose of government was to keep society from falling into disorder and protect people from there own wicked ways

Locke disagreed with Hobbes He believed that human beings were inherently good and were able to reason Locke believed that people had natural

rights and that it was the role of the government to safeguard these rights

In Treatises on Government (1690) Locke explored the idea of the Social Contract

This idea expressed the belief that unjust government was not to be endured by the people

In this case rebellion would be justified Locke’s ideas were used to justify

several rebellions in history

Adam Smith theorized that a free economy could generate more wealth than a regulated economy In The Wealth of Nations (1776) Smith cited three laws that he felt proved

his position› The Law of Self Interest› The Law of Competition› The Law of Supply and Demand

Smith was the economic equivalent of Locke

He preached economic liberty to accompany social freedoms

Smith saw the Free Market Economy as a natural, self-governing, self-sustaining system

Montesquieu continued on the same grounds as Locke In On the Spirit of Laws (1748)

Montesquieu introduced the idea of Separation of Power He felt that executive, legislative, and

judicial needed to be separate for liberty to exist

“Power should check power”

In this way no branch of government could become to powerful and become a threat to liberty

On the Spirit of Laws became the frame work for the constitution of the United States

Like Locke, Rousseau also believed in the rights of man

But unlike Locke Rousseau believed that the people themselves should be dominant

His famous quote from The Social Contract (1762) “Man is born free, yet everywhere he is in chains” summed up his belief that liberty was natural and oppression was unnatural

These new philosophies led to a shift in thinking in Europe and in North America

The ideas were based on reason instead of tradition

Philosophers-› You will Research the Philosophers that we

just talked about and complete the chart provided.