Thomas Hobbes was an English philosopher who had a great influence on American democracy. He believed in a strong central government with limited power.
Philosopher said that man is naturally selfish and will do anything to get more power, wealth, and fame. He said that this war between men is the cause of all evil in the world.
Hobbes believed that humankind was essentially evil and needed strong government to keep them from harming each other. The only way to prevent this from happening was for the king to have absolute control over every aspect of life: what people could do, where they could go, what they could say or read, etc. This was the opposite view of John Locke who believed that humans were rational beings by nature, so they could control themselves without needing laws to control them.
This philosophy influenced America’s founding fathers when they wrote their Constitution. They wanted to create a government that would protect its citizens from harm while also protecting their rights as individuals against any potential abuse by government officials or other citizens who might want to take advantage of them because they were weak or poor or unable to defend themselves against such abuses.
