Thomas Hobbes
End-Game
question: What are the legitimate rights
of Government?
First
half: A Rational Argument for the
organisation of Government.
Background
- After the death of his father, Thomas Hobbes was taken in and
raised by his wealthy uncle. Recognising
the intelligence of his nephew, Hobbes’ uncle afforded him the opportunity to
earn an education. After receiving his
B.Arts degree, he became a tutor to the
son of the Earl of Devonshire, his relationship with nobility was cemented there. Growing tensions between the King of England
and the Parliament at the time is offered by historians as the motivation for
Hobbes’ greatest Philosophical work “Leviathan”. In it,
Hobbes makes a brilliant, rational argument in an attempt to justify the
position and legitimate right of a king to rule. He is able to do that by rationally
considering the “nature of man”, how the said nature of man would influence the
“state of nature” and what that would naturally lead to.
Text: Paraphrased SELECTIONS FROM THE LEVIATHAN
Thomas Hobbes (1588-1679) (Primary Source)
Human Equality:
Nature has made men so equal, in the
faculties of the body and mind; as that though there be found one man sometimes
manifestly stronger in body, or of quicker mind than another, yet when all is
reckoned together, the difference between man and man, is not so considerable.
. .
For such is the nature of men, that
howsoever they may acknowledge many others to be more witty, or more eloquent,
or more learned; yet they will hardly believe there be many so wise as
themselves. . . .
All men are governed by their aversions
(fears) and desires.
The State of Nature
From this equality of ability, arises
equality of hope in the attaining of our ends. And therefore if any two men desire the same thing, which
nevertheless they cannot both enjoy, they become enemies. . . .
Hereby it is manifest, that during the
time men live without a common power to keep them all in awe, they are in that
condition which is called war; and such
a war, as is of every man, against every man. For war consists not in battle
only, or the act of fighting, but in a tract of time, wherein the will to
contend by battle is sufficiently known.
In such condition there is no place for
industry [meaning productive labor, not .industry. in modern sense of factories],
because the fruit thereof is uncertain, and consequently no culture of the
earth; no navigation, nor use of the commodities that may be imported by sea;
no commodious building . . . no knowledge of the face of the earth; no account
of time; 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.
QUESTIONS FOR DISCUSSION/NOTES
1. In what way does Hobbes think that all men
are equal?
2. What does Hobbes say about
what motivates or discourages man in his natural state? Is man rational, is he moral or amoral?
3. How does the nature of man
impact the lives of men?
4. If the nature of man is the
way Hobbes argues it is, what would the state of nature be like?
