Thomas Hobbes believed in a strong, centralized authority to prevent chaos in human society, contrasting with Enlightenment thinkers who emphasized individual rights, reason, and the potential for democratic governance; two key differences are Hobbes' advocacy for absolute monarchy as necessary to maintain order, and his pessimistic view of human nature, which posits that people are inherently self-interested and need control, while Enlightenment thinkers generally held a more optimistic perspective on human potential and the importance of social contract principles.

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