Thomas Hobbes was one of the most influential political philosophers of all time, providing both support and justification of government. During his lifetime there was considerable political turmoil between the King and the Parliament, whereby Hobbes wrote in support of the King and the concept of absolute sovereignty. What is particularly interesting about Hobbes’s writings is that he was the first philosopher to use a scientific approach in an attempt to understand human behavior. Supported particularly by the notion of mechanic materialism, the idea that anything can be reduced to material bodies in motion. Through his most highly regarded work Leviathan, Hobbes explores human nature and provides rationale for the need of government. In the absence of government, there can be no possibility of society and thus civilized life ceases to exist as man is said to be in a state of nature. Such a state is akin to that of war, where a man acts solely in the pursuit of self-interest regardless of the detriment he may be causing to others. Thus, Hobbes proposed that man in the interest of self-protection would use reason and enter into covenant, in turn, creating a commonwealth based upon a social contract. Under such circumstances with authority residing in an absolute sovereign the condition for morality is present.
The Essay on State Of War Men Hobbes Man
Hobbes gives us his estimation of the nature of mankind by initially showing that all men are generally equal. The strongest man can be beaten by the weakest, if the weaker man uses some other force. When it comes to intelligence Hobbes claims men are even more equal, since all men are of equal experience, which is the only way to gain wisdom. Once Hobbes shows that all men are equals he goes on ...
The basis for Hobbes’s conception of the state of nature resides in his pessimistic views regarding the nature of man. That is to say, Hobbes believed human nature was completely egoistic and, ultimately, man lacked compassion or regard for fellow human beings. As one is devoid of concern for anyone else, each individual is solely interested in attaining what he or she desires and is primarily driven by competition, diffidence, and glory. In achieving the ends to one’s happiness, one must use his or her power through engaging in intense competition for limited resources. It must be noted that Hobbes believed that in the state of nature man was essentially equal in terms of power, in that, every individual had the capacity to kill. Under such circumstances, without any sort of organization or central governing power, man is “in that condition which is called war; and such a war, as is of every man, against every man” (109).
This concept is further supported in one’s ability to obtain limited resources, “if any two men desire the same thing, which nevertheless they both cannot enjoy, they become enemies; and in the way to their end, which is principally their own conservation, and sometimes their delectation only, endeavor to destroy, or subdue one another” (108).
Hobbes supports the actions of man in this state citing one’s natural right for self-protection and self-preservation. In addition, due to a lack of ownership every man has a common right to all things leading to fierce competition and increased chaos. For Hobbes, this state of nature did not represent an actual period in history, but rather a way of rationalizing how people would act in their most basic state where civil society ceased to exist.
Underlying Hobbes’s state of nature is the struggle for survival and more specifically the fear of death. To counter these conditions, man must use the dictates of reason and voluntarily band together forming a collective union supported by a social contract. Formation of the social contract is rooted in the interest of providing peace and, according to Hobbes, presupposed by the laws of nature. Hobbes defines a law of nature as “a precept or general rule, found out by reason, by which a man is forbidden to do that, which is destructive of his life, or taketh away the means of preserving the same; and to omit that, by which he thinketh it may best be preserved” (112).
The Essay on Man vs. Nature
The natural world is superior to all of humanity. Without reason, land controls us and influences our identities. Through mankind’s power we try to suppress the natural world but never truly succeed. “Progressive Insanities of a Pioneer” by Margaret Attwood, “The Bull Moose” by Alden Nowlan and “Not Just a Platform for my Dance” are comparable poems in a way that all three deal with a theme of the ...
These laws are primarily directed at preserving one’s life. The first three laws of nature are of particular interest because they establish the overall framework for putting an end to the state of nature. Thus, the first law of nature is concerned with every person seeking peace, although Hobbes provides that if this cannot be attained and one must defend oneself then one should use the advantages of war. The second law of nature provides that members of the contract must give up certain liberties equal to that of others in the interest of social order. Finally, to make the first two laws effective, the third law of nature ensures that the covenant remains in tact.
There still remains a critical component for the social contract theory to be deemed effective. According to Hobbes that essential feature resides in a central government with particular focus on an absolute sovereign. He stresses the idea of absolute sovereignty citing that if power over the commonwealth were to be divided only chaos could result. Hobbes writes, “if the essential rights of sovereignty . . . be taken away, the commonwealth is thereby dissolved, and every man returneth into the condition, and calamity of a war with every other man, which is the greatest evil that can happen in this life; it is the office of the sovereign, to maintain those rights entire” (118).
With complete control of power given to the sovereign and the social contract in tact the conditions for morality exist. Under such circumstances the sovereign dictates the law, which, in turn, provides the foundation for morality. That is to say what is in accordance with the law is deemed morally right and what opposes the law is morally wrong. This theory gives way for criticism if the sovereign is unjust, but Hobbes counters this by stating that the sovereign cannot be unjust. Ultimately, Hobbes believed that government was preferable than social chaos, especially under an absolute sovereign.
