John Locke vs Thomas Hobbes
John Locke
United Kingdom- Philosopher
- Author of Two Treatises of Government
English philosopher whose Second Treatise grounds government in consent and the protection of life, liberty and property, including a right of resistance.
Full profile of John Locke
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
John Locke (1632-1704) and Thomas Hobbes (1588-1679) are a 59% match on the 7 axes where both have a clear record.
They differ most on authority (John Locke: democratic (moderate); Thomas Hobbes: strong leader (strong)), security (John Locke: liberty (moderate); Thomas Hobbes: order (strong)) and structure (John Locke: balanced; Thomas Hobbes: central (strong)). They are closest on morality, religion and welfare.
On the economy John Locke sits further toward markets; on state and liberty Thomas Hobbes sits further toward authority; on society Thomas Hobbes sits further toward tradition.
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
- John Lockemarkets (moderate)Thomas Hobbesbalanced
- State and liberty3 axes
- John Lockeliberty (mild)Thomas Hobbesauthority (strong)
- Society2 axes
- John LockebalancedThomas Hobbestradition (mild)
- John Locke: petals and stars
- Thomas Hobbes: dashed outline
★ Where they differ most
- Authority145 points apart
John Locke: Democratic (moderate). Thomas Hobbes: Strong leader (strong).
- Security120 points apart
John Locke: Liberty (moderate). Thomas Hobbes: Order (strong).
- Structure80 points apart
John Locke: Balanced. Thomas Hobbes: Central (strong).
- Ownership60 points apart
John Locke: Private (strong). Thomas Hobbes: Private (mild).
★ Where they are closest
- Morality · 0 apart
- Religion · 30 apart
- Welfare · 40 apart
Axis by axis
Thomas Hobbes
Economy
Equality / Markets- OwnershipStrong: Private15%85%PublicPrivate
- MarketsNo clear recordPlannedFree
- WelfareMild: Self-reliant40%60%SharedSelf-reliant
State and liberty
Liberty / Authority- AuthorityModerate: Democratic80%20%DemocraticStrong leader
- SecurityModerate: Liberty70%30%LibertyOrder
- StructureBalanced50%50%LocalCentral
Society
Progress / Tradition- MoralityMild: Traditional40%60%ProgressiveTraditional
- ReligionMild: Secular60%40%SecularReligious
- TechnologyNo clear recordEmbraceCaution
- CultureNo clear recordMulticulturalNational identity
World
Global / Nation- TradeNo clear recordGlobalProtected
- Foreign policyNo clear recordCooperationStrength
Not compared: Markets (no clear record for Thomas Hobbes), Technology (no clear record for either), Culture (no clear record for either), Trade (no clear record for Thomas Hobbes), Foreign policy (no clear record for John Locke). These axes are greyed out above and left out of the match.
★ 12 Axes Political Test ★
Who are you closer to?
Answer plain statements on 12 axes and see your match with John Locke, Thomas Hobbes and every other historical figure, axis by axis.
FAQ
John Locke vs Thomas Hobbes
What is the difference between John Locke and Thomas Hobbes?
They differ most on authority (John Locke: democratic (moderate); Thomas Hobbes: strong leader (strong)), security (John Locke: liberty (moderate); Thomas Hobbes: order (strong)) and structure (John Locke: balanced; Thomas Hobbes: central (strong)). On the economy John Locke sits further toward markets; on state and liberty Thomas Hobbes sits further toward authority; on society Thomas Hobbes sits further toward tradition.
What do John Locke and Thomas Hobbes have in common?
They are closest on morality, religion and welfare. Overall their profiles are a 59% match on the 7 axes where both have a clear record.
Who leans more toward free markets, John Locke or Thomas Hobbes?
On the economic axes they share, John Locke sits further toward markets and Thomas Hobbes further toward equality. John Locke reads as markets (moderate) overall, Thomas Hobbes as balanced.
Am I closer to John Locke 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.
