Political Philosophy and Foundation of Government--Charlie

Charlie McGill
Mr. Roddy
Global Politics
2/24/2020
Political Philosophy and Foundation of Government

The political philosophers Locke, Rousseau, and Hobbes are three of the most influential political thinkers ever, with the United States, much of Europe, and other countries around the world establishing government based on their principles. I will talk about what those principles are, but first the reason for government must be established. Each of these three political philosophers have different theories as to why government comes to be, but all of them stem from the state of nature. Hobbes asserts that government must be created to avoid the state of nature because it's comparable to a state of war. Locke believes government arises from the state of nature even though he sees it to be a place of peace and equality. Rousseau believes the state of nature to be a morally neutral and peaceful condition, which humans naturally leave when they become dependent on one another and thus civilized. Although each philosopher sees the state of nature differently, they each agree that government will be created due to it in some way.

Once government is established, Locke, Rousseau, and Hobbes each have different ideas as to how it should be run and its role within a society. These ideas relate directly to GPHC's concepts of sovereignty, power, legitimacy, and interdependence. Hobbes believed that a government should be run by an absolute monarchy, which would do its best to make decisions on the behalf of the people. Locke understood the value of representative democracy, and maintained belief that has changed modern government forever: if citizens feel like their government isn't representing their will, they can revolt. His strong belief in the natural right of life, liberty, and property directly influenced the United States' founding fathers, who use very similar language in the Declaration of Independence. Finally, Rousseau believed in small government, where the citizens would make decisions rather than relying on elected officials or a singular power. I don't agree with any of these theories in their entirety, rather my ideal society takes from what I believe to be the best ideas of all three of these theorists.

 First, I will take the concept of a representative democracy from Locke. I believe this to be the best system of running government. However, unlike Locke I believe that everyone who pays taxes has the right to vote, regardless of their gender, religion, race, or sexual orientation. Second, I will take Hobbes belief in a big government and apply that to my own. Government should serve the people in many ways, providing them with housing and an education if they need it, and healthcare through a single-payer system to maximize efficiency, minimize monetary waste, make sure everybody has the right to see a doctor, and allow for the most freedom of movement between jobs and cities. Although there are many other things I believe the government should involve itself in, these are the most important, and for the sake of clarity and concision I will limit myself to focusing on these rights. Along with that, government should protect liberty and equality, and should not discriminate nor involve itself with any operations that would limit liberty and equality. Finally, I will take Rousseau's belief that citizens should make important decisions within a country and give them the power to not only elect representatives within government but also vote on more referendums at the local level. I'm sure this government would need some fine tuning, but I think it's the best system a government can use. 

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