Compare Hobbes' and Locke's understanding of the state of nature and Essay

Compare Hobbes' and Locke's understanding of the state of nature and of natural law. Who is more convincing - Essay Example John Locke was also regarded as one of the most remarkable political thinkers in seventeenth-century Europe. But defiantly, his philosophical arguments differed significantly from Hobbes. Locke perceived mankind as naturally good and kind. He argued that people could cope with and survive well with others, but a government was needed (Christman 2002). The government would merely possess enough power granted by the people. The perception of Locke on the government was founded only on serving the greater good or the public interest. He detested having an unlimited, supreme authoritative government (Christman 2002). Locke’s considerable importance in political thought is better known. As the first systematic theorist of the philosophy of liberalism, Locke exercised enormous influence in both England and America. In his Two Treatises of Government (1690), Locke set forth the view that the state exists to preserve the natural rights of its citizens. When governments fail in that task, citizens have the right—and sometimes the duty—to withdraw their support and even to rebel. Locke opposed Thomas Hobbes’s view that the original state of nature was â€Å"nasty, brutish, and short,† and that individuals through a social contract surrendered—for the sake of self-preservation—their rights [...] (Academic American Encyclopaedia 1994, 388). Locke dealt with the assertion of Hobbes that a state of war was the state of nature, though he did not relate this assertion to Hobbes. He disproved it by citing existing and actual historical cases of individuals in a state of nature. For this intent he considered any individuals who are not under the authority of a common arbitrator to resolve conflicts or disputes, individuals who may justifiably take steps themselves to punish criminals, just as in a state of nature (Academic American Encyclopaedia 1994). Thomas Hobbes was evidently a monarchist. He

The Fashion Industry Did Not Exploit Their Labour Base Essay

The Fashion Industry Did Not Exploit Their Labour Base - Essay Example The essay "The Fashion Industry Did Not Exploit Their Labour Base" concerns the fashion industry and the question of exploitation. At eleven for a child to be doing this instead of schooling is a most despicable thought; however we also need to look at this situation through young Mantheesh’s eyes, for her this work brings home Rs. 40 or 60p per day; much better than what she could’ve done in her native war torn Sri Lanka or in some refugee camp in India. These 60p are better than anything else that life has doled out to her so far, her only hope, and when the protest over the unfairness of child labour reaches this young child; neither does she understand the debate nor does she feel that its fair for people to take away from her the last modicum of hope that this job allows her. These are the questions that this essay will attempt to answer. Let’s start by peeping into the conditions of child labour. According to UNICEF, there are an estimated 250 million child ren aged 5 to 17 in child labour worldwide, excluding child domestic labour. In terms of geographical distribution, the Asia-Pacific region harbours the largest absolute number of working children between the ages of 5 and 14, with some 127 million, or 60 per cent of the world total. Sub-Saharan Africa is second with 48 million, or 23 per cent of the total, followed by Latin America and the Caribbean with 17.4 million, or 8 per cent, and the Middle East and North Africa with 13.4 million, or 6 per cen. Some of the countries are India.... In terms of geographical distribution, the Asia-Pacific region harbours the largest absolute number of working children between the ages of 5 and 14, with some 127 million, or 60 per cent of the world total. Sub-Saharan Africa is second with 48 million, or 23 per cent of the total, followed by Latin America and the Caribbean with 17.4 million, or 8 per cent, and the Middle East and North Africa with 13.4 million, or 6 per cent ( ILO, 5.1.2008). Some of the countries which are battling this issue are India, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Indonesia, Philippines, China, Nepal, Malawi, Kenya, Zimbabwe,( Andvig, J.C. 5.1.2009) ( IPEC, 5.1.2009) Tanzania, Ethiopia Morocco, Egypt, Brazil, Argentina. The fact that most of these countries are developing nations is where the similarity ends, on one hand we have a country like Ethiopia teetering on the brinks of a civil war and on the other we have a India touted to be the economic super power of the next generation; yet both countries haven't been able to curb the rampant flouting of child labour laws. So can we safely conclude that child labour is only a problem of developing countries Not really, even the United States has its own issue of child farm workers (AFT, 5.1.2009). In order to take a closer look at this problem, we need to first understand it. "Child labor" is, generally speaking, work for children that harms them or exploits them in some way (physically, mentally, morally, or by blocking access to education). BUT: There is no universally accepted definition of "child labor". Varying definitions of the term are used by international organizations, non-governmental organizations, trade unions and other interest groups. Writers and speakers don't always specify what definition they are using, and that often