Essay Sample on Hobbes vs. Plato: Comparing Views on Freedom and Governance

Hobbes believes that people attain freedom when they are free from physical impediments. In Leviathan, Hobbes thinks that monarchy is the best system of leadership. Hobbes argues that freedom may apply to both humans and inanimate creatures. For example, water is free to flow up to certain areas; it cannot flow across all vessels. Hobbes suggests that all people in the society should submit to one governance to maintain peace for all. Plato has different opinions from Hobbes; he suggests that a state with freedom contains four major things justice, wisdom, self-discipline, and courage (Prokhovnik 6). The rulers provide intelligence. Citizens enhance their sovereignty through fighting for freedom, democracy, and liberty to choose what they want. According to Plato, if people do not fight for their freedom, they cannot quickly get it.

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Plato's The Republic suggests that "it is better to be just than unjust" (Schofield 285). According to Plato, the ethics of people define how a city form. Bad people result in wicked cities, and good people make good cities (Schofield 286). Plato believes that humans should be satisfied in their social classes to bring harmony and happiness. If people live in satisfaction, they become happy and interact with each other forming friendships. Plato believes that people putting their greed aside is the basis for creating just societies full of harmony.

Augustine builds on some of Plato's ideas to express his philosophy and theology ideas. Augustine sees Plato as a person who understands eternal truth (Andras 37). Plato's ideas of representing the world as an entity apply in theology. Plato describes the world in various forms; Augustine associates them with Godliness. They both believe in paradise, and they think that life on earth is preparing humans for the future, another different world from what they live.

Friendship is an integral part of human beings. Early philosophers such as Plato tried to illustrate why we need companionship. Plato believes that having a friendship determines the psyche of individuals and their freedom to do what they feel is right. Plato shares his ideologies of love in; Eros and Lysis. Plato discusses friendship in Lysis and how building a society based on friendship influences people's freedoms. Eros defines how people illustrate love in different ways. Eros believes showing love is demonstrating friendship; it also indicates how people show love and affection. Plato thinks that friendship is more good when it is public rather than a private affair. Plato argues that friendship is working for the collective good, people coming together to achieve the common good. Plato suggests that for freedom to exist, there must be political goodwill enhanced by building friendships between political institutions and the public.

The modern form of friendship seems different from traditional ideologies. There is no close connection between the government and the people. The state and residents seem to be drifting apart. In the modern world, people show concern more about their private welfare rather than the common good for all. People are pushing their selfish agendas, forgetting building a society based on friendship that all can thrive.

Copeland believes that humans connect to the past world by honoring them with memory. She considers memory as a significant value that humans use to link with the previous world. People encounter a lot through their lives; human beings living in the present world should take their time to appreciate the past ones for their perseverance. Copeland associates honor with religion, remembering Jesus shows the faith Christians have towards the divine being. Commitment to past beliefs shows human solidarity to the past and present worlds. According to Copeland, solidarity is an ethical and moral act, remembering and connecting with others helps people build on solidarity.

Aristotle suggests that people live good lives in a state or polis. States provide the security and stability that humans need to ensure peaceful coexistence. Participating in in-state activities ensures that humans can live good lives. Through interactions, humans' collective friendship groups. Aristotle believes that humans achieve happiness through friendship and that individuals cannot pursue happiness without relationships. Like Copeland, Aristotle believes that past humans and present share connections through memories, especially on political issues. For example, participating in the war on behalf of the state wins' people respect. Humans share memories about heroes of war, and they can appreciate and recall them in the process.

According to Copeland, liberal arts education enables human beings to move higher heights than before. Liberal arts education provides a platform for all professionals to interacts and share progression ideas. Through liberal education, people get chances to improve their interpersonal skills. They get opportunities to interact and communicate, developing individual expertise. Through class conferences, students gain skills in problem-solving. They can establish mechanisms to deal with stressful situations. Liberal arts education enables humans to become more creative and innovative to find solutions to more challenging problems (Jiang 18). A liberal arts education exposes students to diverse concepts, including math, sciences, and humanities. The knowledge that students gain from studies helps them solve complex situations. According to Copeland, liberal arts education makes humans more socially responsible for improving their commitment to their nations. Humans can draw sense from the decisions they make and ensure that they do not cause harm to others as they pursue their freedoms.

Work Cited

Anderas, Phillip. "Martin Luther, Augustinianism, and Augustine." Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Religion, 2017, DOI:10.1093/acrefore/9780199340378.013.268.

Jiang, You Guo. "6 Critical Thinking in the Context of Liberal Arts Education." Liberal Arts Education in a Changing Society, Jan. 2014, DOI:10.1163/9789004282315_007.

Prokhovnik, Raia. "The Notion of Rhetoric." Rhetoric and Philosophy in Hobbes' Leviathan, 2019, pp. 1-17., DOI:10.4324/9780429317996-1.

Schofield, Malcolm. "Friendship and Justice in the Laws." The Platonic Art of Philosophy, Cambridge University Press, 2011, pp: 283-297. DOI:10.1017/cbo9781139856010.017.