Modern Day Leaders: Which Follow Locke's or Hobbes' Philosophies?

Who Follows Thomas Hobbes' Philosophy:

Kim Jong Un
Image result for kim jong un

  • North Korean leader Kim Jong Un follows Thomas Hobbes’ philosophy.
  • Kim is treated as if he was a king, or more accurately, a god. He is praised everywhere in North Korea and no one is allowed to badmouth him or they are punished.
  • Kim controls the armed forces as well, and lives like a king while his people suffer with hunger and poverty.
  • The people are stripped of their natural rights. They laid down their rights to Kim, however, he is not protecting them. The people are afraid to revolt, as it will most likely lead to their death.
  • Kim’s power is hereditary, when his father died it was his turn to become leader.
  • North Korea has been communist for decades, allowing for Kim to continue the trend. Since the previous leaders were treated greatly and had full control of their people, Kim saw no reason to change this, as he saw it as the rightful way to lead.
  • Thomas Hobbes believed that the people could give up their natural rights and give absolute power to a sovereign, additionally, he believed the king should hold all the power in their hands. Hobbes’ beliefs are very similar to Kim Jong Un’s perspective, as they are clearly seen when you look at the way North Korea is being run.

Who Follows John Locke's Philosophy:

Thomas Perez
Image result for thomas perez

  • Leader of the Democratic Party in the US.
  •  He is someone that follows John Locke’s philosophy. 
  • Thomas Perez led the charge against police misconduct, voter suppression, anti-LGBT discrimination, etc. 
  • John Locke believed the people could not be stripped of or give up their natural rights, This is similar to Thomas Perez as he seems to be trying to protect people’s civil rights.
  •  As a Democrat, he supports a representative government and a division of power, which is what John Locke favored.
  •  Perez is a minority with immigrant parents who taught him integrity and perseverance. 
  • Immigrants face a lot of discrimination and can be challenged by the government, so it’s no wonder that Perez wants to protect the natural rights of every individual and supports a system of government with three branches.

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