Origins of Modern Political Thought
Osher Lifelong Learning Institute

Modern Political Thought emerges in the 17th and 18th centuries. Chief among the thinkers who bought this about are Thomas Hobbes (1588 - 1679), John Locke (1632 - 1704) and Adam Smith 1723 - 1790). We will read and discuss excerpts from their work. Their writings emphasize several things: the origin of the state not by divine right but through the consent of the people, the importance of the rule of law, and (in the case of Smith) the important role of the state in managing the economy. We will read excerpts from each thinker and from others with respect to the views they put forward. Each of these writers are special in developing ideas that play an important role in Democratic thought. They are among the important thinkers who set the background for our modern era.