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Vol. 49 No. 3 (2021)

Political thought

War and Peace: The State of Nature According to John Locke and Thomas Hobbes

DOI: https://doi.org/10.35757/STP.2021.49.3.03
Submitted: December 18, 2021
Published: December 15, 2021

Abstract

This article attempts to explain the ambiguities appearing in connection with John Locke’s concept of ‘the state of nature’. This philosopher’s concept is often juxtaposed with a similar approach of Thomas Hobbes, indicating that Locke’s vision is relatively mild compared to the Hobbesian state of war. According to the philosopher of Malmesbury, the state of nature is ‘brutish and short’, and in the case of Locke, there are some moments when we begin to ask why this state should be left at all. The considerations contained in this article are meant to show that Locke’s approach proves to be not entirely consistent and ultimately, in its most consistent form, is not much different from Hobbes’ vision.

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