John Locke And Rousseau s Impact On Western Political...

Dave Licause Early Modern European History Dr. Jason White 4 December 2015 Locke and Rousseau The Enlightenment saw many great thinkers, but maybe no other individuals had a greater impact on Western political development than John Locke and Jean-Jacques Rousseau. Locke and Rousseau, at the core of their arguments, believed that mankind creates a social contract within society. However, Rousseau and Locke differ in their exact view of the social contract, but both agree that some individual rights must be sacrificed for the good of mankind, and that before there was society man lived in a state of nature. Their different interpretations of these two points largely describes the differences between the two men, clearly from similar time frames, from a similar geographical space, but who collaborate inadvertently with each other to help establish core Western political philosophies. Locke was situated historically in a time of great upheaval in England. Locke was born in 1634 to a middle-class Puritan family in England. His father was an attorney and provided the best education possible for his son, who was able to eventually attend Oxford under scholarship in 1652. Locke’s most powerful friend and greatest asset was Lord Ashley, whom he met while at Oxford. Locke served in many various government posts into 1679 where he returned to England to find the country again in turmoil. The monarchy had been restored, but Charles II was grappling with parliament for control ofShow MoreRelatedSocial Contract : The Blend Of Government And Freedom2131 Words   |  9 Pages Rousseau Social Contract; the Blend of Government and Freedom Elise Rozenberg Survey of Modern History I July 13, 2015 â€Æ' â€Å"Daring ideas are like chessmen moved forward; they may be beaten, but they may start a winning game.†[ ] These words can be applied to the progression of history. 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