Thomas Hobbes 1588 1679

1
Thomas Hobbes(1588 - 1679)
For by art is created that great LEVIATHAN called
a COMMONWEALTH, or STATE (in Latin, CIVITAS),
which is but an artificial man, though of greater
stature and strength than the natural, for whose
protection and defence it was intended and in
which the sovereignty is an artificial soul, as
giving life and motion to the whole body the
magistrates and other officers of judicature and
execution, artificial joints reward and
punishment (by which fastened to the seat of the
sovereignty, every joint and member is moved to
perform his duty) are the nerves, that do the
same in the body natural the wealth and riches
of all the particular members are the strength
salus populi (the people's safety) its business
counsellors, by whom all things needful for it to
know are suggested unto it, are the memory
equity and laws, an artificial reason and will
concord, health sedition, sickness and civil
war, death. Lastly, the pacts and covenants, by
which the parts of this body politic were at
first made, set together, and united, resemble
that fiat, or the Let us make man, pronounced by
God in the Creation.

• Leviathan

2
The Natural Condition of Mankind

• Every person is basically equal to every other
  person
• All have the capacity to kill anyone else no
  matter how powerful
• All believe themselves to be as wise as the next
  person
• If any two men desire the same thing, which they
  cannot both enjoy, they become enemies and
  attempt to destroy one another
• Since resources are finite, the natural order or
  mankind is to be at war with one another in
  every-mans attempt to dominate others
• Therefore the natural order of mankind is that of
  war
• Therefore, men have no pleasure in others
  company unless there exists a power sufficient to
  overawe them all

3
Quarrels and Competitions

• Three principal causes of quarrel
• Competition
• Men invade for gain
• Using violence to make themselves masters of
  others
• Diffidence
• Men terrorize others to achieve safety
• The best defense is to conquer others
• Glory
• Reputation for strength
• Cause others to value them either directly, or
  indirectly through their subordinates or
  possessions
• Passions which incline men to peace include
• Fear of Death
• Desire for Things to Live Well
• Hope to get them
• Where there is no common power, there is no law,
  no Injustice. Fraud and Force are virtues in war.

4
The Laws of Nature

• Liberty the absence of external impediments to
  action
• Law of Nature man is forbidden to
• Destroy his own life
• Take away the means of preserving it, or
• Omit things necessary to preserve it
• Most important law of nature is to seek peace
  whenever obtainable
• Second most important law of nature is By all
  means available, to defend ourselves

5
Hobbes Social Contract

• If peace is obtainable, man must lay down their
  rights and retain only the liberties which he
  agrees others can have against him
• Rights are laid down either by
• Renouncing them, or
• Transferring them to another
• Cannot transfer or lay down the right to save
  their own life, or voluntarily suffer wounds or
  imprisonment
• Once right is abandoned or granted away, he is
  obligated not to hinder others (to or for whom
  transferred) or make void his grant
• Contractual basis of society is thus between
  person and person not between person and
  sovereign

6
Nature of the Contract

• The mutual transferring of rights (from people to
  sovereign) is the contract
• Validity of a contract requiring future
  performance depends on having a power sufficient
  to compel performance
• He who conveys a right also conveys the means of
  enjoying it so far as is in his power
• Things which cannot be contracted
• Impossible things
• Not to defend themselves
• To accuse themselves
• Other Contractual Issues
• Freed from promise only by performance or
  forgiveness
• Contracts made due to fear are enforcible
• Former contract voids later contract on same
  issues
• Breaking contract is unjust if power of
  enforcement exists
• Best method of enforcing the contract is fear

7
Other Laws of Nature

• Men should perform their covenants
• To break covenant is unjust injustice is not
  performing
• Assumes power sufficient to compell performance
  by terror of punishment greater than benefit
  obtained by not performing
• Rebellion is unjust because success cannot be
  reasonably expected, and thus one acts
  destructively to their own life
• Justice is different when attributed to Men or to
  Actions
• To Men conformity of manners to reason
• To Action Divided into Commutative and
  Distributive
• Commutative Justice of the Contractor
  performance of their covenant
• Distributive Justice of the Arbitrator the act
  of defining the Just
• Every man should accomodate himself to others
• Offenses should be pardoned when one repents for
  peace
• In revenge, look not to evil past, but good to
  follow no punishment but to correct offender or
  deter others

8
Other Laws of Nature (cont.)

• Dont, by deed, word, or gesture, declare hate or
  contempt of another
• Every man acknowledge all others as his equal,
  and deal equally with others
• Things not divisible should be enjoyed in common,
  if divisible but insufficient, then
  proportionally
• If not divisible or enjoyable in common, then use
  is determined by 1st possession or by lot
• All men who mediate peace get safe-conduct
• Those having controversies must submit them to
  arbitrator
• Golden Rule

9
The Commonwealth

• Must have power to overawe all persons
• If men observe Justice and the laws of nature
  without compulsion, there is no need for a
  government because there would be peace without
  subjugation
• Reasons such a state will never exist
• Men compete continually for Honor and Dignity
• Common good differs from private good men
  obtain joy by comparing themselves to others
• Each thinks themselfe wiser and better than the
  next
• People relate that which is good as evil, and
  that which is evil as good
• Only way to avoid these problems is to create a
  commonwealth
• One person who, by act of all, uses the strength
  of all for their peace and common defence is
  denominated as the Sovereign

10
Rights of the Sovereign

• Commonwealth established when all give up their
  rights (authority) to a sovereign one or many to
  preserve peace
• From this, Sovereigns derive all their rights and
  powers
• Covenant between citizens cannot be repugnant to
  prior covenant, likewise, they thereafter have no
  power to covenant anew without the Sovereigns
  permission
• Because the social K is only between the
  subjects, the Sovereign cannot breach that K
  since he bears the person(s) of all. Therefore,
  the Sovereign can never be said to forfeit his
  power
• Once the major part consent, social minority must
  consent to Sovereign or be destroyed by the rest
  pursuant to theory of war
• Every subject is, institutionally, the author of
  the Sovereigns actions. The Sovereign can never
  act unjustly toward a subject since the subject
  cannot act unjustly toward himself
• No sovereign can be justly punished by his
  subjects
• Sovereign is the judge of what opinions
  teachings contribute to peace, promote these, and
  suppress others since actions proceed from
  opinions

11
Rights of the Sovereign (cont.)

• The Sovereign has full power to make laws of
  property and of actions allowed or prohibited
• Sovereign has full power of adjudication
  deciding all controversies of civil or natural
  law
• Sovereign has the right to make war and peace
  with other nations
• Sovereign chooses his own counselors ministers
• Sovereign has full power to reward or punish
  subjects by law previously made, or, even wihtout
  law, to encourage faith allegience to society
  and to prevent disservice to society
• To put every person in his place or rank and
  detail the honors rights they are to have