Essay --

The Implementation of Sovereign Power Hobbes, Locke and RousseauWritten By Jessica Zhou - 250967181 trigger to Political Theory - POL 2237ETA Bojan RatkoviHanded In On February 11, 2014Sovereign power can be understood to be the right to hold the law or to enact a form of legitimate justice within the realms of a state. Sovereignty is associated with the rule of a sovereign or an definitive entity, which ultimately characterizes how a organization regime is objet dartaged. It can take many forms and can be bestowed in a multitude of ways. With the emergence of states and powerful figureheads comes the query of where legitimate power lies. The political theories found in Thomas Hobbess The Leviathan, John Lockes Second Treatise on Government, and Jean Jacques Rousseaus Of the Social direct all attempt to answer this long-standing question of where sovereign power should operate and why a certain form of government is ideal. Although many differences lie in these three theorists political philosophies, all three comment on the creation of a social contract and how this agreement made among individuals in a society is fundamental to the functionality of a state. Hobbes, Locke, and Rousseau all have a very different view of how society should function, and to fully understand and contrast their ideas, a brief overview of each theory should first be explained.Thomas Hobbes believes that sovereignty should be placed in the hands of a single person who holds sheer(a) power. He argues that this absolute sovereign will ensure the protection and common defense of all citizens and will organize civil peace. Hobbes views the natural state of man as inherently violent and is the war of every man against every man... ...ions. On the contrary, if every person were to advocate for what they see should be done, then a general consensus will be hard to reach. If we briefly consider Rousseaus form of government, the belief that everyone will have the same opinion about wh at is peachy for the whole community is too optimistic. Realistically, Rousseaus theory of bestowing sovereign power upon all the people will create a very scattered pussycat of opinionated groups that feel their general will is the best and few decisions will be made. But if we consider the formation of a legislative branch of government that represented the general publics opinions, such like in Lockes theory, an overall agreement can be reached. Therefore, Lockes arguments reflect a more practical practice of government, where the people are not merely subjects of a single sovereign, but hold sovereignty themselves.