Comparative Analysis on Locke and Hobbes Theory Essay Example

Comparative Analysis on Locke and Hobbes Theory Essay Example Comparative Analysis on Locke and Hobbes Theory Paper Comparative Analysis on Locke and Hobbes Theory Paper Locke had a theory of natural law and natural right; he believed that a rational purpose to government did exist. Defending the government as an institution, Locke insisted that not only did a good government care for the well-being of its public and have a basis for enforcing obligations on the citizens of its country; but, also, that a government was necessary for public welfare. Locke maintained that all human beings were equal and free to enjoy their inalienable right of pursuing life, health, liberty, and possessions. To Locke, natural justice would always exist, whether a government did or not, it was just his belief that a government might better guard natural justice. Locke also defended the concept of popular sovereignty and the idea that rebellion is acceptable when the government stops protecting the natural rights that it was originally established to protect. So, Locke’s idea of an effective government was one that would maintain order among the people and provide protection and resolution when ones natural rights were broken. The exact opposite of Locke’s theory was Hobbes’, whose stated that if people had a choice between living under a government or living without one, they would choose the state with a government. According to Hobbes, this is because an individual is better off in a state where only the government can legally exercise aggression; which then allows the individual to focus on serving his and his familys wants, and to satisfy the needs of the state that would allow it to maintain a good government. So, it was Hobbes view that it was unnatural for man to put himself under the control of others to have a government- but that it was rational to do so. Hobbes preferred monarchy mainly because he believed there should be only one supreme source of authority. He could tolerate parliament alone, but not a system in which government power is shared. This is the exact antithesis to the views of Locke. So, Hobbes’ thesis, although it was opposite from Locke’s, had the same ideas of maintaining order and providing protection and resolution when the rights of the people were threatened.

Economy and Trade of the Ancient Mayans

Economy and Trade of the Ancient Mayans The Ancient Maya civilization had an advanced trade system consisting of short, medium, and long trade routes and a robust market for a range of goods and materials. Modern researchers have made use of a variety of methods to understand the Maya economy, including evidence from excavations, illustrations on pottery, scientific â€Å"fingerprinting† of materials such as obsidian, and examination of historical documents. Currency The Maya did not use money in the modern sense. There was no universally accepted form of currency which could be used anywhere in the Maya region. Even valuable items, such as cacao seeds, salt, obsidian, or gold tended to vary in value from one region or city-state to another, often rising in value the farther away these items were from their source. There were two kinds of goods commercialized by the Maya: prestige items and subsistence items. Prestige items were things like jade, gold, copper, highly decorated pottery, ritual items, and any other less-practical item used as a status symbol by upper-class Maya. Subsistence items were those used on a daily basis, such as food, clothing, tools, basic pottery, salt, and so on. Subsistence Items Early Maya city-states tended to produce all of their own subsistence items. Basic agriculture - mostly production of corn, beans, and squash - was the daily task of the majority of the Maya population. Using basic slash-and-burn agriculture, Maya families would plant a series of fields which would be allowed to lie fallow at times. Basic items, such as pottery for cooking, were made in homes or in community workshops. Later on, as the Maya cities began to grow, they outstripped their food production and food trade increased. Other basic necessities, such as salt or stone tools, were produced in certain areas and then traded to places that lacked them. Some coastal communities were involved in the short-range trade of fish and other seafood. Prestige Items The Maya had a bustling trade in prestige items as early as the Middle Preclassic period (about 1000 B.C.). Different sites in the Maya region produced gold, jade, copper, obsidian, and other raw materials. Items made from these materials are found at nearly every major Maya site, indicating an extensive trade system. One example is the famous carved jade head of sun god Kinich Ahau, discovered at the Altun Ha archaeological site in present-day Belize. The nearest source of jade to this monument was many miles away in present-day Guatemala, near the Maya city of Quirigu. The Obsidian Trade Obsidian was a precious commodity to the Maya, who used it for adornments, weapons, and rituals. Of all of the trade items favored by the ancient Maya, obsidian is the most promising for reconstructing their trade routes and habits. Obsidian, or volcanic glass, was available at a handful of sites in the Maya world. It is much easier to trace obsidian to its source than other materials like gold. Obsidian from a particular site not only occasionally has a distinct color, like the greenish obsidian from Pachuca, but an examination of the chemical trace elements in any given sample can nearly always identify the region or even the specific quarry from which it was mined. Studies matching obsidian found in archaeological digs with its source have proven very valuable in reconstructing ancient Maya trade routes and patterns. Advances in the Study of Maya Economy Researchers continue to study the Maya trade and economy system. Studies are ongoing at Maya sites and new technology is being put to good use. Researchers working at the Yucatan site of Chunchucmil recently tested the soil in a large clearing long suspected of having been a market. They found a high concentration of chemical compounds, 40 times greater than in other samples taken nearby. This suggests that food was extensively traded there. The compounds can be explained by bits of biological material decomposing into the soil, leaving traces behind. Other researchers continue to work with obsidian artifacts in their reconstruction of trade routes. Lingering Questions Although dedicated researchers continue to learn more and more about the ancient Maya and their trading patterns and economy, many questions remain. The very nature of their trade is debated. Were the merchants taking their orders from the wealthy elite, going where they were told, and making the deals they were ordered to make  - or was there a free market system in effect? What sort of social status did talented artisans enjoy? Did the Maya trade networks collapse along with Maya society in general around 900 A.D.? These questions and more are debated and studied by modern scholars of the ancient Maya. The Maya and Trade Maya economy and trade remains one of the more mysterious aspects of Maya life. Research into the area has proven tricky, as the records left behind by the Maya themselves in terms of their trade are scarce. They tended to document their wars and the lives of their leaders much more completely than their trading patterns. Nevertheless, learning more about the economy and trading culture of the Maya can shed much light on their culture. What sort of material items did they value, and why? Did extensive trading for prestige items create a sort of middle class of traders and skilled artisans? As trade between city-states increased, did a cultural exchange - such as archaeological styles, worship of certain gods, or advances in agricultural techniques - also take place? Sources McKillop, Heather. The Ancient Maya: New Perspectives. Reprint edition, W. W. Norton Company, July 17, 2006. Wilford, John Noble. Ancient Yucatn Soils Point to Maya Market, and Market Economy. The New York Times, January 8, 2008.