Final answer:
John Locke envisaged a natural condition where people are free, equal, and possess natural rights to life, liberty, and property. These rights are inherent and serve as the basis for individuals to form a government through a social contract to protect these rights, contrasting with views of Hobbes and Bentham.
Step-by-step explanation:
John Locke's Concept of Natural Condition
English philosopher John Locke had a profound impact on the development of political philosophy and the concept of human rights. According to Locke, a person's natural condition is characterized by perfect equality and freedom. In this state, all individuals possess natural rights to life, liberty, and property. These rights are inherent and cannot be taken away, as they exist prior to the formation of any government. Locke believed that humans, using the reason and rationality endowed to them, could identify moral laws that are obligatory for everyone to follow, like the preservation of life and respect for others' liberty and possessions. He posited that to protect these natural rights and to resolve disputes, people enter into a social contract to form a government.
Locke's views contrast with those of Thomas Hobbes and Jeremy Bentham, who had differing opinions on the natural state of humanity and the existence of natural rights. Hobbes viewed the state of nature as a place of perpetual conflict without a sovereign authority, while Bentham dismissed the concept of natural rights as nonsensical.
This notion of natural condition and rights laid the groundwork for many democratic principles and influenced the formation of modern political systems, emphasizing the role of government in safeguarding the rights of the people.