Contrast Hobbes and Locke's views of human nature and connect each to the political philosophy of the time?
What will be an ideal response?
Hobbes argued that human nature was essentially corrupt, and therefore people needed to be under the control of a strong, unlimited government that could enforce compliance with an agreed-upon set of social boundaries. He supported an absolutist government, arguing that without a mechanism that compelled people to respect authority, they would follow their natural inclinations to compete for resources and give in to their selfish desires, and life would be "nasty, brutish, and short." Locke, however, felt that humans were not corrupt by nature because there were no innate ideas, and people were born with a blank slate (tabula rasa) and gained experience from the world around them. He argued that the role of government was to protect people's private property, and that because that was in their best interests, there was no need to coerce people to obey; humans would act rationally and in obedience to the concept of a social contract because it was the logical thing to do.
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