John Locke vs. Thomas Hobbes

Many of the revolutionary political ideas of the Enlightenment developed out of a basic disagreement on how people should be governed. This disagreement is best illustrated by the divergent views of British political thinkers John Locke and Thomas Hobbes.

In this activity, students will analyze the differences between the political views of John Locke and Thomas Hobbes as presented in their writings. Students should address the following questions in their storyboard:

1. What are natural rights?
2. What is the social contract?
3. What is the preferred government of Locke and of Hobbes? How is the government based on each thinker’s view of human nature?

Students Can Collaborate!

Teachers may wish for students to work together on this lesson which is possible with Storyboard That's Real Time Collaboration feature! With Real Time Collaboration, students can work on the same storyboard at the same time which is perfect for this lesson! As teachers know, collaborating on assignments allows students to think on a deeper level while increasing their communication and problem-solving skills. Collaboration can also help cut down on the time it takes to complete a storyboard. While there is no set limit to the number of users who can work on a storyboard at once, we recommend five users or fewer for optimal performance. All of our assignments default to individual. To make this lesson collaborative, teachers must enable collaboration for the assignment within the "Edit Assignment" tab.

Extension Activity

Students can extend this activity by finding modern examples of governments that reflect either a Lockean approach or a Hobbesian approach to ruling. These examples could be displayed in an additional two cells at the bottom of this storyboard.

Student Instructions

Create a T Chart that compares the ideals of John Locke and Thomas Hobbes.

1. Click "Start Assignment".
2. In one column, define Locke's views as portrayed in "Natural Rights" as well as his preferred government.
3. In the other column, do the same for Hobbes's "Leviathan".
4. Create illustrations using appropriate scenes, items, and characters.
5. Save and exit when you're done.