Essay --

The Implementation of Sovereign Power: Hobbes, Locke and Rousseau Written By: Jessica Zhou - 250967181 Introduction to Political Theory - POL 2237E TA: Bojan Ratković Handed In On February 11, 2014 â€Æ' Sovereign power can be understood to be the right to enforce the law or to enact a form of legitimate justice within the realms of a state. Sovereignty is associated with the rule of a sovereign or an authoritative entity, which ultimately characterizes how a government regime is managed. It can take many forms and can be bestowed in a multitude of ways. With the emergence of states and powerful figureheads comes the question of where legitimate power lies. The political theories found in Thomas Hobbes’s The Leviathan, John Locke’s Second Treatise on Government, and Jean Jacques Rousseau’s Of the Social Contract all attempt to answer this long-standing question of where sovereign power should operate and why a certain form of government is ideal. Although many differences lie in these three theorist’s political philosophies, all three comment on the creation of a social contract and how this agreement made among individuals in a society is fundamental to t he functionality of a state. Hobbes, Locke, and Rousseau all have a very different view of how society should function, and to fully understand and contrast their ideas, a brief overview of each theory should first be explained. Thomas Hobbes believes that sovereignty should be placed in the hands of a single person who holds absolute power. He argues that this absolute sovereign will ensure the protection and common defense of all citizens and will organize civil peace. Hobbes views the natural state of man as inherently violent and is the â€Å"war of every man against every man... ...ions. On the contrary, if every person were to advocate for what they see should be done, then a general consensus will be hard to reach. If we briefly consider Rousseau’s form of government, the belief that everyone will have the same opinion about what is good for the whole community is too optimistic. Realistically, Rousseau’s theory of bestowing sovereign power upon all the people will create a very scattered pool of opinionated groups that feel their ‘general will’ is the best and few decisions will be made. But if we consider the formation of a legislative branch of government that represented the general public’s opinions, such like in Locke’s theory, an overall agreement can be reached. Therefore, Locke’s arguments reflect a more practical practice of government, where the people are not merely subjects of a single sovereign, but hold sovereignty themselves.