Influence of Winthrop and Hobbes Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 4

Influence of Winthrop and Hobbes - Essay Example Hobbes also espouses ideas concerning equality stating that despite people living in different conditions in life, nature has made all men equal and because of this, no one should be superior to another. A result of the viewpoints espoused by these individuals is that they have become an essential part of developing a system of governance that not only embraces democracy but also guarantees the rights of all individuals in society. When one makes a study of Winthrop and Hobbes’ works, one will find that they are quite similar to the modern conventions concerning human rights as well as the rights of children. Hobbes states that all men have the liberty to do as they wish and this is an ability which has been given to them by nature and as a result it an inalienable right.   All men have control over their own lives and they can do everything that they believe is right according to their own judgment, thus ensuring that they remain completely free. An echo of Hobbes’ sentiments appears in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) which also declares that all human beings are born equal in dignity and in rights and that they are free to do what they think is right according to their own conscience. This declaration shows Hobbes’ influence on it despite its having been written some four hundred years before the UDHR was formally declared and implemented. This belief in the right of a ll men to equality as well as is based on a belief that human liberty has its origins in nature and that no man has the right to deny others the right to choose what they want to do with their lives.