Political Liberalism and Enlightenment

Running head: POLITICAL LIBERALISM AND ENLIGHTENMENT
Political Liberalism and Enlightenment
Name of the student
Name of the University
Author note

1POLITICAL LIBERALISM AND ENLIGHTENMENT
Liberalism refers to the political doctrine that helps in freedom of an individual in the
society. Liberals believe in the fact that government can help in protecting the individuals and
the laws and the police in the society can help in securing the life of an individual.
Enlightenment was the philosophical movement that started in Europe and in the North
America in late 17th and in the early half of the 18th century. There were thinkers like Thomas
Hobbes, James Madison, John Locke along with the Edmund Burke who contributed to idea
of the political liberalism. This essay discusses about how Enlightenment helped in changing
understanding of the human nature along with the political order.
Hobbes laid emphasis on absolute power of Leviathan sovereign that puts the political
thoughts against the concept of the liberal theory. Hobbes was instrumental in laying
foundation pertaining to liberal view. Hobbes has stated the fact that politics should help in
[reserving the life and the goods of an individual. He believed that role of the government
was to serve the needs of the human beings. Hobbes has laid emphasis on the fact that
individuals in the society retains the natural right of preserving his identity even after entering
into commonwealth. Hobbes believed in the concept of the political liberalism and he had the
idea that the individuals have the inviolable right pertaining to nature and that politics helps
in furthering the pursuit of an individual for the happiness.
John Locke used various elements of the thought of Hobbes in developing his account
pertaining to the political liberalism. The influence of Hobbes can be seen in the account of
Locke of state of the nature. Locke had the idea that the civil society was grounded within a
social contract that had free and the equal men. Locke laid stress on the aspect of the human
rationality and the capacity of an individual of being grounded by the reason. He thought that
reason can help in producing perpetual peace and the tranquillity within the society. They laid
stress on the element of self-interest of an individual.