Machiavellian and Hobbesian Critique of Plato's Republic

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Another concept that Hobbes and Plato differ on is human condition. Plato’s view of the human condition is the human beings begin in a state of social cooperation. His reasons for holding this view are plentiful. He believed that if all human beings worked together and shared their profits, everyone would benefit in society. When everyone contributes a little bit, all of the basic needs are met for everyone in the community. Plato believed that if everyone’s basic needs were met by the most capable, then the people would be happy and content. Hobbes took on a different approach and said that the natural human condition is a state of war. He believed that man fears having his things taken from them and therefore is naturally competitive when it comes to his belongings. Human beings, according to Hobbes, become greedy and take more than what they need, leaving others with less. Although war may not be happening, there is always a chance of it with the natural state of competitiveness in human beings. He believed the world is not capable of living in complete peace.

Even with the major differences between Hobbes and Plato, we can still find similarities in their beliefs as well. We discussed their opposing views on human condition and how their rulers govern, but both philosophers can agree that government is necessary to keep peace and cooperation within the states. No matter that their views differ on how exactly to perform their duties as rulers, they both can agree that without government there would be total chaos and civil war. So although they have very different views on human condition, they share similarities on how their cities should and should not function.

This paper does not outline every similarity or difference between Machiavelli, Hobbes, and Plato but it discusses a few ideas I think are significant. Although these philosophers lived at different times and their views are more different than they are the same, it is easy to see why their views have stuck around for so long and why some of our founding fathers used the basic premises of some of their beliefs to create our government. These men influenced our lives even before we were born and they likely had no idea their ideas and philosophies would become some prominent for years to come.

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