In search of the inner drive dominating human motives, Thomas Hobbes and Adam Smith generally agree on the powerful motivation of self-interest. In Leviathan (1651), Hobbes constructs the natural men as individualistic, unfettered power-seeking animals, whose free-operating self-interest would force them to live in a disastrous eternal war. ... My paper will examine the role of government and rule of law in the Leviathan and The Wealth of Nations as potential solution to the problem of how individuals temper their private desires in light of public interest. ... In Leviathan, Hobbes perceive...

• Word Count: 1845
• Approx Pages: 7
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

Compare and Contrast Hobbes" and Locke's State's of Nature Thomas Hobbes lived in seventeenth century England. ... In the Leviathan, Hobbes attempts to explain the nature of power. ... (Hobbes, The Leviathan) Fortunately man is endowed with reason which in turn enables him to recognize his problem and ultimately discover a solution to said problem. ... In my opinion, Hobbes" state of nature is an anarchical one. ... Like Hobbes, Locke believed that all men are born free and equal. ...

• Word Count: 1519
• Approx Pages: 6
• Grade Level: High School