Top 5 books Locke would own

1) The Dream of Enlightenment: The Rise of Modern Philosophy
By: Anthony Gottlieb
Summary Link: https://www.amazon.com/Dream-Enlightenment-Rise-Modern-Philosophy/dp/1631492969/ref=sr_1_6?ie=UTF8&qid=1535296618&sr=8-6&keywords=enlightenment

2) Social Movements and the New State: The Fate of Pro-Democracy Organizations When Democracy Is Won
By: Brian K. Grodsky
Summary Link: https://www.amazon.com/Social-Movements-State-Pro-Democracy-Organizations/dp/0804782326

3) The Enlightenment
By: Dorinda Outram
Summary Link: https://www.amazon.com/Enlightenment-New-Approaches-European-History/dp/1107636574/ref=sr_1_10?ie=UTF8&qid=1535298235&sr=8-10&keywords=enlightenment

4) God's Fury, England's Fire: A New History of the English Civil Wars
By: Micheal Braddick
Summary Link: https://www.amazon.com/Gods-Fury-Englands-Fire-History/dp/0141008970/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1535311891&sr=8-4&keywords=english+civil+war

5) English Civil War: A History From Beginning to End
By: Hourly History
Summary Link: https://www.amazon.com/English-Civil-War-History-Beginning/dp/1537585177/ref=sr_1_12?ie=UTF8&qid=1535312248&sr=8-12&keywords=english+civil+war

Top 5 books Hobbes would own

1) Louis XIV and Absolutism: A Brief Study with Documents (The Bedford Series in History and Culture)
By: William Beik
Summary Link:  https://www.amazon.com/Louis-XIV-Absolutism-Documents-Bedford/dp/031213309X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1535295285&sr=8-1&keywords=absolutism


2)Absolutism and Society in Seventeenth-Century France: State Power and Provincial Aristocracy in Languedoc
By: William Beik
Summary Link: https://www.amazon.com/Absolutism-Society-Seventeenth-Century-France-Aristocracy/dp/0521367824/ref=sr_1_fkmr0_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1535295356&sr=8-2-fkmr0&keywords=pro+absolutism

3)Lineages of the Absolutist State
By: Perry Anderson
Summary Link: https://www.amazon.com/Lineages-Absolutist-State-Perry-Anderson/dp/086091710X/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1535295814&sr=8-2&keywords=Lineages+of+the+Absolutist+State

4)Absolutism in Central Europe
By: Peter Wilson
Summary Link: https://www.amazon.com/Absolutism-Central-Europe-Historical-Connections/dp/0415150434/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1535296101&sr=8-1&keywords=Absolutism+in+central+Europe

5)The Age of Absolutism 1660-1815
By: Max Beloff
Summary Link: https://www.amazon.com/Age-Absolutism-1660-1815-Routledge-Revivals/dp/0415736633/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1535296289&sr=8-1&keywords=Age+of+Absolutism+1660-1815

Agree or Disagree with critiques on both Philosophers

1) A sovereign violates individual rights extensively.


I agree with Hobbes critique that a king with absolute power will be corrupt and become a tyrant. I agree with this because when someone is given too much power and is not regulated he or she will abuse it. And this causes the people to be disgruntled and overthrow the king, an example of this is the French revolution.


1) Elected representatives are more interested in getting reelected than peoples rights.

2) America is becoming a less christian nation and hence becoming more corrupt and selfish


I disagree with Locke's critique because not all elected representatives are more interested in getting re-elected than helping out the people. This may be true in some cases but in most the representative wants to do its job and represent its people because he or she is in charge of what to do in a serious situation. I also disagree with Locke’s critique about America becoming less christian meaning that it will become corrupt, I believe that religion has nothing to do with being corrupt. Corruption is not related with religion, anyone can be corrupt or fair.

Which leader would follow Locke's philosophies, and which would follow Hobbes?

Well I believe that the former President of the United States Barack Obama would be a follower of Locke’s philosophy. I believe this because Obama (or any other leader in this time period) would not sympathize with having a king ruling their country, Locke wanted the people to be represented by the government and had the right to vote for their leader. Obama was elected into Presidency and he represented and favored the people.

A former leader that would side with Hobbes ideas would be Queen Elizabeth or any other monarch that still remains. Even though the Kings and Queens that are alive to this day don't have any governmental power I believe they would like to have the power their ancestors had of total rule. Queen Elizabeth is traditionalist and might agree with Hobbes that Kings and Queens are necessary. Also most monarchs today believe they are better than anyone else which leads me to believe that they think they have the right to rule.

Which Philosopher's ideas would be most useful today?

John Locke and Thomas hobbes had very distinct philosophies. John Locke believed that there should be no absolute government and the people choose their leaders and have a voice in the government. Thomas Hobbes believed that a king was necessary because without him the country would go to ruin. Hobbes also stated that a King would serve his people and it would be easier to have a king than to have multiple leaders ruling a country. Locke’s ideas would be more useful than Hobbes today, the reason for this is Locke believed in democracy and how the people should elect their leader than being forced to acknowledge one. Locke also believed in human rights of freedom and how they should not be limited by someone such as the king. These basic principles are the foundation of most countries today.

Locke’s ideas would be of better use than Hobbe’s because Locke did not believe in a king or in any government that was absolute. Locke preferred a government that represented the people, in the Document John Locke it states, “Locke favored a representative government such as the English Parliament, which had its hereditary House of Lords and an elected House of Commons.” Locke favored the Parliament because it also limited the power of the king. Almost every country nowadays uses a democratic government which is the people elect their leaders, whether if it's for a president or a district leader they must have an election, the people get to have a say in the government is one of Locke’s beliefs. Locke also believed in the god given right of freedom, the ability to obtain property, and not having anyone tell them what they must have ( this is now known as human rights).

Finally in today's ideology Locke’s philosophical beliefs of how a government should be set up would be more useful than Hobbes. The main reason for this is that Locke does not believe in such thing as a king or the monarchy itself, he opposes the king because anyone with such power would become a tyrant and would hurt the people. He also believes in human rights such as freedom and that no leader should ever hurt his people because without them there would be no leader. Locke’s ideas fit in more with today's society which makes his ideas useful.

How did the English Civil War and Glorious Revolution impact both of their philosophies?

The English civil war and the Glorious Revolution greatly impacted Thomas Hobbes philosophy because he viewed the loss of king Charles as a monumental disaster and maybe a potential cause for the fall of England. He believed that an absolute government was necessary for England to remain as a global power. Hobbes believed this because a monarch government would be much more easier to handle, laws would be passed quicker, the government would overall stay the same if a new king would enter. Hobbes opposed most enlighteners believes of self rule or an elected government because he believed that too much self rule would lead to chaos. Hobbes also did not want church and government to be related because it would cause more problems.The English civil war and The Glorious Revolution had a significant impact on Locke’s philosophical beliefs. Locke sided with the group that opposed the king, he believed that government should be chosen by the people and there should be laws to restrict a ruler's power such as the kings. During the Glorious revolution Locke favored the Protestant Parliament which helped reduce the king's power, this influenced his beliefs because he viewed that there was a way to limit the power of the king and he favored it.

How did religion affect their points of view?

Thomas Hobbes was atheist and viewed that a king was necessary to rule because without one who will rule the people? And he also believed that church and government were to be separate, he did not believe that the church should be able to influence the king's issues and how to resolve them. As a result of him being atheist he did not believe in someone more powerful than the king, he would rather have the option to give away his freedom and serve the king.
Unlike Hobbes, Locke was Christian and believed in natural god given rights that every human being must protect. Locke believed in freedom of the people, freedom that god have given them to rule themselves and that they should never give away that right to someone such as a king. His beliefs in religion affected the way he viewed that government should rule the people because he believed in no such king, he did not believe that anyone had the right to take away their freedom but God. Which lead him to believe that the king should not have too much power and should represent his people.