Jean-Jacques Rousseau vs Thomas Hobbes
Jean-Jacques Rousseau
France- Political philosopher
- Author of The Social Contract
Genevan-born philosopher whose Social Contract (1762) argues that legitimate government rests on the general will of a sovereign people.
Full profile of Jean-Jacques Rousseau
Thomas Hobbes
United Kingdom- Political philosopher
- Author of Leviathan
English philosopher whose Leviathan (1651) argues that only an absolute, undivided sovereign can rescue people from a violent state of nature.
Full profile of Thomas HobbesIn short
How they compare
Jean-Jacques Rousseau (1712-1778) and Thomas Hobbes (1588-1679) are a 66% match on the 8 axes where both have a clear record.
They differ most on authority (Jean-Jacques Rousseau: democratic (moderate); Thomas Hobbes: strong leader (strong)), structure (Jean-Jacques Rousseau: local (moderate); Thomas Hobbes: central (strong)) and security (Jean-Jacques Rousseau: order (mild); Thomas Hobbes: order (strong)). They are closest on morality, religion and welfare.
On the economy Thomas Hobbes sits further toward markets; on state and liberty Thomas Hobbes sits further toward authority; on society Jean-Jacques Rousseau sits further toward tradition; on the world stage Thomas Hobbes sits further toward nation.
Generated from the two sourced profiles on this site. Each axis placement and its reasoning is on the full profile pages.
★ By family of axes
- Economy2 axes
- Jean-Jacques Rousseauequality (moderate)Thomas Hobbesbalanced
- State and liberty3 axes
- Jean-Jacques Rousseauliberty (mild)Thomas Hobbesauthority (strong)
- Society2 axes
- Jean-Jacques Rousseautradition (moderate)Thomas Hobbestradition (mild)
- World1 axis
- Jean-Jacques Rousseaunation (mild)Thomas Hobbesnation (moderate)
- Jean-Jacques Rousseau: petals and stars
- Thomas Hobbes: dashed outline
★ Where they differ most
- Authority125 points apart
Jean-Jacques Rousseau: Democratic (moderate). Thomas Hobbes: Strong leader (strong).
- Structure120 points apart
Jean-Jacques Rousseau: Local (moderate). Thomas Hobbes: Central (strong).
- Security50 points apart
Jean-Jacques Rousseau: Order (mild). Thomas Hobbes: Order (strong).
- Ownership40 points apart
Jean-Jacques Rousseau: Public (mild). Thomas Hobbes: Private (mild).
★ Where they are closest
- Religion · 20 apart
- Morality · 20 apart
- Welfare · 30 apart
Axis by axis
Thomas Hobbes
Economy
Equality / Markets- OwnershipMild: Public65%35%PublicPrivate
- MarketsNo clear recordPlannedFree
- WelfareModerate: Shared75%25%SharedSelf-reliant
State and liberty
Liberty / Authority- AuthorityModerate: Democratic70%30%DemocraticStrong leader
- SecurityMild: Order35%65%LibertyOrder
- StructureModerate: Local70%30%LocalCentral
Society
Progress / Tradition- MoralityModerate: Traditional30%70%ProgressiveTraditional
- ReligionMild: Religious35%65%SecularReligious
- TechnologyNo clear recordEmbraceCaution
- CultureNo clear recordMulticulturalNational identity
World
Global / Nation- TradeNo clear recordGlobalProtected
- Foreign policyMild: Strength45%55%CooperationStrength
Not compared: Markets (no clear record for Thomas Hobbes), Technology (no clear record for Thomas Hobbes), Culture (no clear record for Thomas Hobbes), Trade (no clear record for Thomas Hobbes). These axes are greyed out above and left out of the match.
★ 12 Axes Political Test ★
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Answer plain statements on 12 axes and see your match with Jean-Jacques Rousseau, Thomas Hobbes and every other historical figure, axis by axis.
FAQ
Jean-Jacques Rousseau vs Thomas Hobbes
What is the difference between Jean-Jacques Rousseau and Thomas Hobbes?
They differ most on authority (Jean-Jacques Rousseau: democratic (moderate); Thomas Hobbes: strong leader (strong)), structure (Jean-Jacques Rousseau: local (moderate); Thomas Hobbes: central (strong)) and security (Jean-Jacques Rousseau: order (mild); Thomas Hobbes: order (strong)). On the economy Thomas Hobbes sits further toward markets; on state and liberty Thomas Hobbes sits further toward authority; on society Jean-Jacques Rousseau sits further toward tradition; on the world stage Thomas Hobbes sits further toward nation.
What do Jean-Jacques Rousseau and Thomas Hobbes have in common?
They are closest on morality, religion and welfare. Overall their profiles are a 66% match on the 8 axes where both have a clear record.
Who leans more toward free markets, Jean-Jacques Rousseau or Thomas Hobbes?
On the economic axes they share, Thomas Hobbes sits further toward markets and Jean-Jacques Rousseau further toward equality. Jean-Jacques Rousseau reads as equality (moderate) overall, Thomas Hobbes as balanced.
Am I closer to Jean-Jacques Rousseau or Thomas Hobbes?
Take the 12 Axes Political Test. Your result shows your match with both of them, and with every other historical figure and ideology on the site, axis by axis.
