Thomas Hobbes Absolute Government

Topic 1: Thomas Hobbes’ rationale for absolute government. Thomas Hobbes was an English philosopher known for his political philosophical views during the 17th century. Hobbes believed that people could live in harmony while also avoiding the peril and fear of societal conflict (biography 1.) One of Hobbes’ most famous works was Leviathan. In it Hobbes argues that there is a need for a natural evolution of the social contract in which people form into political societies to abide by common rules and accept duties in order to protect themselves and others from whatever might come (biography 1). Another significant piece of information in Leviathan was Hobbes’ idea of absolute government also known as absolutism or a monarchy. Absolutism

One is that humans will violently compete to secure basic necessities of life. Two is that we will challenge others and fight out of fear to ensure person safety. Three is that we will seek reputation for its own sake as well as for its protective effects (Williams 1). Hobbes does not believe that all people are selfish, however, he does believe that some people are selfish, cowardly, and conceited. Therefore, these people will use violence to attain their ends, especially since there are no police to stop them (Williams 1). This is why Hobbes believes that a monarchy is the best form of government because it is the only way to guarantee peace. To summarize, Hobbes believes that all members of society should to submit to one absolute authority for the sake of maintaining peace. To Hobbes, the sovereign is empowered to run government, make and enforce laws, head the church, and determine first principles (SparkNotes 1). To him, this is the only sure way of maintaining a civil and peaceful society and to avoid any form of civil war. However, Hobbes fails to prove why we have an obligation to obey the sovereign as a means to maintain peace. His beliefs have been refuted by the successful distribution of power in modern

The years of work in economics aided Marx in understanding the labor class and its relation to capital (Bashar 1). Marx published several works in his lifetime, but perhaps his most prominent work was “The Communist Manifesto” that he wrote along with philosopher Friedrich Engels in 1848. In the Communist Manifesto, Marx argues that a class is formed when members achieve class consciousness and solidarity. Class consciousness refers to the self-awareness of social classes and their capacity to act in their own self-interest based on the standards their class sets for them (Bashar 1). Therefore, the formation of a class is likely to happen when members of that class become aware of their own exploitation as well as their conflict with another class (Bashar 1). In general, class is an economic group where economic inequality is the main element of struggle. Class struggle or class conflict is tension or antagonism in society due to the different groups having differing interests (Bashar 1). People are placed into similar groups within society primarily based on similar economic standing. Marxism’s philosophy is that there are two main classes of people: the bourgeoisie which control the capital and means of production, and the proletariat which provide the labor. Marx uses an example that class struggle occurs when rich business owners