Thomas Hobbes' Influence on Government

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Thomas Hobbes was an English philosopher who lived from 1588-1679. During the age of absolutism, he was a key figure in political philosophy. He had a negative view on people; he believed that all humans were opportunist, and they would do anything to make their position higher in society. He also believed that people could not be trusted to make decisions on their own, and leadership that could run the country skillfully was essential. Therefore, Hobbes believed in an absolute monarchy. He also justified the political actions of King Charles l of England. The writings of Thomas Hobbes were used among Parliament members and king Charles; they argued about how powerful the king should be.
Thomas Hobbes believed that people’s judgement is unreliable because they are needy and vulnerable. During the tensions between the king and the parliament, England was divided into two opposing parties: defenders of the king and prosecutors. The controversies between the king and parliament induced Thomas Hobbes to write about his monarchic views. Most of his work was aimed to reestablish the hold of monarchy. “The obligation of subjects to the sovereign is understood to last as long, and no longer, than the power lasteth, by which he is able to protect them. For the right men have by Nature to protect themselves, when none else can protect them, can by no covenant be relinquished.”(Thomas Hobbes Leviathan) This quote explains allegiance of the people to the sovereign.
Thomas Hobbes believed that in every republic, the king and the people have duties towards one another. This belief is evident in the social contract theory by Thomas Hobbes, he supported the concept by the law of nature. The law of nature demands the absolute obedience...

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...10th ed. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Prentice Hall, 2011. 425-26. Print.

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MacGillivray, Royce. "Thomas Hobbes's History of the English War A Study of Behemoth." University Of Pennsylvania Press 31.2 (1970): 180-98. JSTOR. Web. 4 Dec. 2013.

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