John Locke And Thoman Hobbes - 2210 Words

The natural behavior of man, whether they are good or bad, has been a disputed topic for centuries. John Locke and Thoman Hobbes, two influential enlightenment philosophers, lead this argument, even after their death. Locke believed in the natural goodness and equality of man, whereas Hobbes believed humans were naturally selfish and cruel (Zint). While Locke’s philosophy seems more desirable, Hobbes s thoughts have much more evidence, namely in the corruption of leaders. These men have absolute power and can change the society however they please, yet more often than not, they squander their public and entrusted power on personal gains, as per the definition of corruption. Ironically, a perfect example of such wasted power would be the popes of the Roman Catholic Church, who were appointed out of pure religious intentions, many of whom did not fulfill their religious responsibilities. The papacy in Europe has a long history of corruption, bringing unholy men to power solely f or their familial status and wealth, beginning in the 11th century with Pope Benedict IX, who sold the papacy on numerous occasions, and continuing through the Renaissance, with Alexander VI, whose goals served only his family, and Leo X, who was a very lavish, uncontrollable spender. The beginning of the corruption of popes began with nepotism, though it never got quite so exploitative until the 145th pope, Benedict IX. He came from a long line of popes, the Tusculan papacy, so he â€Å"regarded the