Absolutism and Leviathan II: The Sovereign Thomas Hobbes

Overview Laws of Nature Contracts and Justice The Need for a Sovereign The Sovereign’s Power

Hobbes’ Laws of Nature Seek peace, and defend yourself by all available means. To the extent necessary for peace and self-defense, give up the right to everything and settle for only as much liberty against others as you would allow them against yourself. –When you give up a right, it becomes your duty not to hinder those to whom it is given up.

Contracts A contract is a mutual transferring of a right. –I give you whatever claim I might have to X, and you give me your claim to Y. –A contract not immediately fulfilled is a covenant; at least one of the people must perform later. Covenants are void when –Both parties are to perform later, but –There is no one powerful enough to force compliance.

Justice Another Law of Nature: Perform your covenants. (Without this, covenants would be vain and we would be stuck with the war of all against all.) Injustice is the violation of covenants Whatever is not unjust is just. This is why there is no justice/injustice in the State of Nature: There are no covenants there.

The Need for a Sovereign For there to be Covenants, there must be someone powerful enough to compel compliance. –“Covenants without the sword are but words.” There needs to be an arbitrator to settle whether covenants have been fulfilled. Someone must “over-awe” everyone to maintain peace. The Sovereign makes it possible to obey the laws of nature safely.

The Sovereign’s Power Everyone makes a covenant with everyone else to submit completely to the sovereign. The sovereign acts on behalf of all, with their authorization, to promote their peace and security. The power of the sovereign is not limited. Any limitation of it would be like a return to the State of Nature.

Review Hobbes thinks reason shows us certain “laws of nature,” concerning self-preservation. To escape the State of Nature, we need to be able to trust one another in covenants, but that requires a further power to enforce them. The sovereign, who enforces covenants and prevents the war of all against all, has unlimited power.