According to the view Thomas Hobbes presents within the selected passaged in the Leviathan, we live in a narcissistic society where man’s condition is primarily driven by ego and where the achievement of personal goals is deemed paramount. Within the State of Nature that is, outside of civil society we have a right to all things ‘even to one another’s body’, and there would be no agreed authority to ensure the moral grounds of our decisions. Therefore since there are no restrictions and no shared authority; man is naturally un-guarded and prone to conflict and each individual is deemed a potential threat to our resources.
From this concept Hobbes deduces that the state of nature is thus primarily a state of war, which leads to the establishment of the ‘Laws of Nature’: Theorems that we inaugurate to sanctify and aid our self-preservation. This particular passage and what leads on from it preaches that we as rational beings should recognize the imperative to seek and secure peace. From the positioning of the first law in this passage Hobbes progresses to the second law of nature in which he preaches that the only way the first law of nature can be achieved is if man forfeits his ‘right to all things’ and submits to the authority of an established sovereign.
Therefore the location of the passage within the body of the text is especially significant because these core concepts inspire the development of his idea of establishing contracts in Part 2 of Leviathan. Progressing through his text Hobbes concludes that through a contract there should be a common sovereign authority. In upholding a contract Hobbes further embraces the establishment of a ‘commonwealth’ to escape the state of nature and to provide a common defense for...
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...ggressions that hold between countries in International Relations”. Therefore although this passage is open to interpretation, it is substantial in that it allows the modern day responder to recognize the notions of self-interest and avidity; and thus appreciate the moral value of supporting a sovereign authority.
The ideas presented in this passage are therefore significant in that the State of Nature functions as a powerful and decisive threat for contemporary society concerning the natural condition and the appreciation for political authority.
Works Cited
Warburton, Nigel. Philosophy: the classics. 3rd ed. London: Routledge, 2006. Print.
Williams, Garrath . "Hobbes, Thomas: Moral and Political Philosophy [Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy]." Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy. N.p., n.d. Web. 6 Aug. 2011. .
The foremost aspects to consider from the Leviathan are Hobbes’s views on human nature, what the state of nature consists of, and what role morality plays. Hobbes assumes, taking the position of a scientist, that humans are “bodies in motion.” In other words, simple mechanical existences motivated solely to gain sati...
At first reading, Thomas Hobbes’ Leviathan can be an intimidating piece of academia. In spite of this, Part 2 of his work, ‘Of Commonwealth’, is still a core piece of political philosophy. Hobbes proposes that the only true functional, permanent and society is one of absolute authority. This essay is focused primarily on the identification and translation of Hobbes’ main doctrines against divided authority, versus the aforementioned unified state. This will be done by looking arguments about the initial construction of the state, the problems of giving each individual the responsibility of power, and benefits of the sovereign as a singular all-powerful figure versus alternatives.
Hobbes theorizes what humanity would be like in the state of nature, “where every man is enemy to every man”. The state of nature is also a state of war because without the security that comes from the mutual exchange of human rights, every human is essentially living in fear of everyone else. There would be no laws to
In the Leviathan, Thomas Hobbes has many different things to say about human nature and what drives men to commit certain actions. All of the actions committed by men and Thomas Hobbes theories revolve around two central ideas, competition and desire. And because of competition and desire, people can never reach true happiness. Man’s own desires and need to be better than the next person will stop true happiness. But in order to understand why Hobbes believes this, his view on human nature has to be looked at first. In Chapter 11 of the Leviathan, Thomas Hobbes places great emphasis on desire. Hobbes says that mankind always does whatever it needs to in order to accomplish its desires. When we accomplish one desire, we simply move on to whatever we want next. The progress that is made in accomplishing one desire and moving on to the next one is what he calls Felicity (Leviathan Ch.11). The reasons that men have desires in the first place are because we have a life style that we love and enjoy. So naturally, humans want to do everything they can in order to keep that lifestyle.
Hobbes views human nature as the war of each man against each man. For Hobbes, the essence of human nature can be found when we consider how man acts apart from any government or order. Hobbes describes the world as “a time of war, where every man is enemy to every man.” (Hobbes mp. 186) In such a world, there are “no arts; no letters; no society; and which is worst of all, continual fear, and danger of violent death; and the life of man, solitary, poor, nasty, brutish, and short.” (Hobbes mp. 186) Hobbes believes that laws are what regulate us from acting in the same way now. He evidences that our nature is this way by citing that we continue to lock our doors for fear of theft or harm. Hobbes gives a good argument which is in line with what we know of survivalism, and evidences his claim well. Hobbes claims that man is never happy in having company, unless that company is utterly dominated. He says, “men have no pleasure, (but on the contrary a great dea...
Hobbes tells us what that commitment must be, how to choose an alternative to a life of “warre.” He writes that people must give up certain “natural” rights to a sovereign power. This sovereign is the head of the Leviathan, and as such, will create laws, act as judge, and defend the peace. Of course, this concept only works if everyone participates in the social contract.
Above anything else, Thomas Hobbes’ Leviathan is a creation story and an investigation of human nature. The story begins in a time of chaos and death and through a journey of human development culminates in the establishment of a sustainable and rational society—the commonwealth—led by a sovereign. At a first casual glance, Hobbes’ reasoning of the transformation from the state of nature to the commonwealth is not airtight. A few possible objections can be quickly spotted: the contradictions of natural law with suicide and the civil law to honor even harmful covenants. Hobbes deals with some of these issues and seems to ignore others, but he does address in detail the most significant objection to his theory: the unlimited and unchecked power given to the sovereign. The establishment of the commonwealth culminates in a covenant that grants the sovereign absolute power in enforcing the civil laws of the state, but also guarantees the sovereign’s status as above the law. How does this ensure peace and survival, as is the point of the commonwealth? Hobbes provides many convincing reasons why it would be difficult, counterproductive, and impossible for the sovereign to not be above the law, but in the end, disorder and chaos are worse than any tyranny.
In sophisticated prose, Hobbes manages to conclude that human beings are all equal in their ability to harm each other, and furthermore that they are all capable of rendering void at will the covenants they had previously made with other human beings. An absolutist government, according to Hobbes, would result in a in a society that is not entirely focused on self-preservation, but rather a society that flourishes under the auspices of peace, unity, and security. Of all the arguably great philosophical discourses, Hobbes in particular provides one of the surest and most secure ways to live under a sovereign that protects the natural liberties of man. The sovereign government is built upon the idea of stability and security, which makes it a very intriguing and unique government indeed. The aforementioned laudation of Hobbes and his assertions only helps to cement his political theories at the forefront of the modern
Hobbes explanation of the state and the sovereign arises from what he calls “the State of Nature”. The State of Nature is the absence of political authority. There is no ruler, no laws and Hobbes believes that this is the natural condition of humanity (Hobbes 1839-45, 72). In the State of Nature there is equality. By this, Hobbes means, that there is a rough equality of power. This is because anyone has the power to kill anyone (Hobbes 1839-45, 71). Hobbes argues that the State of Nature is a violent, continuous war between every person. He claims that the State of nature is a state of w...
Man in the state of nature is bound by two natural laws, which are “to seek peace and follow it [and] by all means we can, to defend ourselves”. Egoism effectively abolishes any idea of private property for Hobbes – survival is the ultimate short-term goal, with peace being the long-term goal, so any action that enables one to survive best is viable, including theft and murder. These two rules reinforce one another - in essence the objective within the state of nature is to escape it by securing one’s safety and thus staying alive. Because individuals in the state of nature are rational, Hobbes believes they will consent to sacrificing some liberties in the hope of attaining this safety from one another. They will therefore form a social contract or what Hobbes terms a “covenant” between one another, establishing an all-powerful arbiter to defend them from each other – the state, which is exempt from any obligation to the society because the covenant is between individuals not the state, and is also exempt from the law....
Lloyd, S. A. (2014). Hobbes's Moral and Political Philosophy. In S. University, The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy. Stanford: http://plato.stanford.edu/archives/spr2014/entries/hobbes-moral/.
The understanding of the state of nature is essential to both theorists’ discussions. For Hobbes, the state of nature is equivalent to a state of war. Locke’s description of the state of nature is more complex: initially the state of nature is one of “peace, goodwill, mutual assistance and preservation”. Transgressions against the law of nature, or reason which “teaches mankind that all being equal and independent, no one ought to harm another in his life, health, liberty and possessions,” are but few. The state of nature, according to Locke’s Treatise, consists of the society of man, distinct from political society, live together without any superior authority to restrict and judge their actions. It is when man begins to acquire property that the state of nature becomes somewhat less peaceful.
Hobbes believes that all men are equal insofar as that the weakest man has the power to kill the strongest man. Thus given that every man is vulnerable to any other man, all men have a very strong desire to escape the state where killing each other is acceptable, escape the state of nature. This can be done, simply put by endeavoring peace which coupled with not making war except to defend oneself, is the first law of nature (Leviathan 1, 14).
According to Hobbes, there are two contrary results from the Law of Nature. With the leading of the reason of soul, the Law of Nature, which is to protect ourselves from getting hurt, can end up with either war or peace. In other words, the reason of soul is the main source of both war and peace. In Leviathan, Hobbes states that the Law of Nature is to preserve ourselves and keep ourselves alive.
In Leviathan, Hobbes states that a state of war will ensue that will put every man against himself. Eventually the state of war will lead the people towards peace and the only way to achieve the peace is through social contract. Hobbes continues further saying, social peace and civil unity are best achieved through the establishment of a commonwealth through a social contract. This social contract insists that a sovereign power be granted absolute power to protect the commonwealth. This sovereign power will be able to control the powers of human nature because its whole function is to protect the common man.