Thomas Hobbes, John Locke and Jean-Jacques Rousseau were among the first political thinkers of the Enlightenment era. “The Age of Enlightenment is identified above all with its political achievements. » (Stanford) These three men are known today as “social contract” thinkers. They each describe their own vision of the "state of nature" and discuss how a proper government should be created and run. Although they have their own ideas, their philosophies suggest similarities. The state of nature can be interpreted in different ways, but testing its practicality requires justifying and explaining its values. Hobbes, Locke, and Rousseau all interpreted the state of nature individually, making him one of the most famous political actors. thinkers of history. “However, for all the enduring achievements of Enlightenment political philosophy, it is not clear that human reason proves powerful enough to put a concrete, positive authoritarian ideal in place of the ideals denied by rational criticism.” (Stanford)Thomas Hobbes had the most negative view of human nature. He felt that everyone was bad; however, he also believed that politics should be separate from God. As an Enlightenment thinker, he believed in using reason and science to gain knowledge, although he was also interested in morality. “Hobbes believes that the state of nature is something we must avoid, at all costs except for our own conservation.” (need citation IEP*) Hobbes's thesis at this time asserted "that the problems of political life mean that a society should accept an unaccountable sovereign as its sole political authority." » (needs citation *IEP) His view of human nature was very dark. , and he believed that faith should not be in the middle of paper......lawsuits. All three believed in the separation of church and state and agreed on two of the three fundamental rights, life and liberty. Each of them had an opposing view on the question of the quest for property, but all had an influence on modern democracy. Without these social contract thinkers of the Enlightenment, one could argue that the political systems in today's world would be diverse in nature. structures. What if Thomas Jefferson hadn't been inspired by John Locke when he constructed the Declaration of Independence? Basic rights in America would surely be limited. Thomas Hobbes, John Locke, and Jean-Jacques Rousseau may have disagreed on questions concerning protest against the king and the specific definition of the state of nature in which men lived, but world politics might not not what it is today and democracy might not have been as successful.