Thomas Hobbes and John Locke posit very different arguments for the existence and scope of governmental authority. Locke writes that governmental authority arises from a "social contract" by the "consent of the governed." Hobbes owes the devolution of powers to a state as a result of necessity and not choice. Much of the differences between their conclusions regarding the scope of government can be explained by their differing views on nature, natural law, natural reason, and liberty.
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