Parental authority is something Hobbes believes is based on a contract. Parents take care of children in exchange for the obedience of the child. Locke believes parental authority relies on biological inheritance and the natural rights bestowed on a parent to take care of a needy creature they bring into the world. He also states, children are bound by honor to obey the parent until they reach 'an age of reason'. Such a convoluted and complex interpretation of parental authority is why Locke's perspective is wrong and Hobbes' perspective is right. Hobbes' interpretation of parental authority is simple and linear, introducing the concept of choice and obligation onto the parent and child. By providing an understanding that both parties are responsible and if lacking, have no rights in that respect, it makes parental authority appear more of a responsibility rather than a right. This makes Hobbes' perspective more convincing. This essay argues that Hobbes' idea of parental authority is more convincing and sound than Locke's.Hobbes' sees parental authority based on the need of the child. In a way, Hobbes states children enter a sort of servitude in exchange for protection and care from the parent. Hobbes examines servitude and slavery and distinguishes one from the other. He does this to remove the notion of slavery within the child and parent relationship. Although his line mentioning 'dominion over the child' can be used in a slavery context, Hobbes states the child chooses to enter servitude in exchange for care and safety. Whenever these are not met, then the child does not have to obey the parent. This can be confusing at first because history shows people legitimized dominance via claiming ownership of the ones dominated. If parents dominate their children, this might mean they own the children. Hobbes' idea of 'servants' can be interpreted as slavery because the person's rights are controlled by the owner. However, because the child or the servant can gain back freedom from the owner not meeting their needs, this is where servitude and slavery differ. There is a choice behind servitude and no choice behind slavery. He does confuse the two in Leviathan, when he introduces servants as slaves. " . . . there be two sorts of Servants; that sort, which is of those that are absolutely in the power of their Masters, as Slaves taken in war, and their Issue, whose bodies are not in their own power, and that are bought and sold as beasts" (405).[footnoteRef:1] [1: Thomas Hobbes, Leviathan (Tustin: Xist Publishing, 2015), 405.]
Like Hobbes, Locke believes there is a contract between parent and child regarding parental authority until the 'age of reason' is met. However, his interpretation can be confusing. Especially because he believes contracts can be used for marriage, and within politics. "Wives may have the right of 'last determination' themselves, if this is agreed on, or the mates may decide conflicts by lottery or by taking turns, and so on. The authority of husbands is neither natural or necessary" (174).[footnoteRef:2] If he believes there are options and that agreements can be made in relationships, what then makes him also believe in the biological right of a parent to dominate a child? This goes hand in hand with Locke's belief that the state is entitled to kill murderers and potentially enslaves them. It seems there is an inherent right that is supposed to be a contractual and optional interaction. However, he rejects the option and the contract by making it appear that biological rights trump everything, thus giving biological parents rights to their biological children. " . . . it appears that Locke wants to ground parental rights simply in the biological relation of parents to children. He refers to the ground of these rights as 'nature' and calls their basis 'the right of generation' or the 'right of fatherhood'" (180).[footnoteRef:3] Then he goes back on his thinking and suggests parents are not creators, rather, they are procreators and thus parental rights are not inherent, but earned. Therefore, his interpretation suggests inability to form a clear and cohesive perspective. [2: A. John Simmons, The Lockean Theory of Rights (Princeton, N.J.: Princeton University Press, 1992), 174.] [3: Simmons, The Lockean Theory, 180.]
Perspectives are what Locke and Hobbes stress regarding parental authority. While they seem different, there are some similar elements to their arguments. The first is the age of reason. Both...
tripartite theory of political power? Compare and contrast Plato and Aristotle's political philosophy. According to Professor Dennis Dalton what is "The Break?" Because of the American tendency to bifurcate conceptions of morality and the soul from political structures, it can be at times difficult to grasp the political philosophy of Plato, whereby the nature of the human soul and Plato's ideal political "Republic" are integrally related. For Plato the human
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