1. Hobbes’ Leviathan

2. Overview Natural Condition of Mankind Prisoner’s Dilemma
The Bronze Rule
A Hobbesian Sovereign
Autonomy and Authority

3. IV. The State of Nature
First condition of the state of nature is scarcity
Not enough of the good things to go around
Then we get:
“From this equality of ability, ariseth equality of hope in the attaining of our ends…”

4. IV. The State of Nature
“And therefore if any two men desire the same thing, which nevertheless they cannot both enjoy, they become enemies; and in the way to their end, which is principally their own conservation, and sometimes their delectation only, endeavour to destroy, or subdue one another”

5. IV. The State of Nature
In other words, the scarcity creates competition since
If we recognize the equality between two people then
A necessary condition of either “A” or “B” getting good “X” is preventing the other party from getting that good
Creates feelings of diffidence
Rise of pre-emptive strikes
Leads to a “war of each against all”

6. IV. The State of Nature Where “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: and therefore the notion of time, is to be considered in the nature of war… so the nature of war consisteth not in actual fighting; but in the known disposition thereto, during all the time there is no assurance to the contrary” (p. 287).
Consequences?

7. IV. The State of Nature In the state of nature, then:
“In such condition, there is no place for industry; 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 instruments of moving, and removing, such things as require much force; 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…

8. IV. The State of Nature
“and the life of man, solitary, poor, nasty, brutish, and short.”

9. IV. The State of Nature Why? Why won’t people be able to get along?
Why will the scarcity lead to this nasty situation?

10. Prisoners’ Dilemma Generalized Form:
Rank Outcomes, from most preferred to least preferred
1 = first choice
2 = second choice
3 = third choice
4 = fourth choice
Choice is “cooperate” or “not cooperate”

11. 3 , 3 1 , 4 4 , 1 2 , 2 Prisoners’ Dilemma Don’t Cooperate Cooperate

12. 3 , 3 1 , 4 4 , 1 2 , 2 Prisoners’ Dilemma Don’t Cooperate Cooperate

13. Prisoners’ Dilemma
Problem for Hobbes, indeed for any political or moral philosophy, is how do we stabilize the cooperative outcome?
Hobbes does not develop the language of the P.D., but he is the first both to recognize the difficulty and consider fully the implications

14. Prisoners’ Dilemma
People in Hobbes’ state of nature are in Prisoners’ Dilemma situations
Solution?
We need a sovereign
What kind?
Why obey?

15. “Do unto others as they do unto you”
I. The Bronze Rule
For Hobbes, the rule governing our moral relations in the state of nature is:
As long as other people are not free riding, then don’t free ride
But if free riding is a problem, then free ride
In other words, something like
“Do unto others as they do unto you”

16. I. The Bronze Rule Laws of Nature Clarifying terms
Right of Nature – each individual is in a moral position to do whatever is necessary to stay alive
Liberty: absence of external impediments
Free to do as you please since have no moral, political, physical, cultural, social constraints
Law of Nature – rules governing our actions which can be discovered by reason and reason alone

17. I. The Bronze Rule
Right = liberty
Law = obedience

18. I. The Bronze Rule First Law of Nature:
In state of war of each against all, seek peace if others seek peace
That is, morality cannot restrict you from saving your own life
Thus state of nature is basically amoral, in that everyone is acting in self defense
The war of each against all results not because we are all evil, but because we each want to stay alive

19. I. The Bronze Rule Second Law of Nature
Be willing to cede rights, if others are also so inclined
Why?

20. II. The Social Contract
Renounce rights to kill each other (in self defense)
Recall conditions of the state of nature
Situation where pre-emptive strikes are rational
How to solve the Prisoner’s Dilemma?
Whenever we have a public good, each of us must renounce our right of self government and give it to the sovereign
Note: you can’t give up the right of nature (protect yourself) but you do cede all other rights

21. II. The Social Contract
Obey the sovereign so long as it keeps the peace
Because we can’t agree as individuals, simply cede authority to sovereign and accept the legitimacy of that sovereign
Each of us promises each other to obey the sovereign and therefore

22. II. The Social Contract
Each of us is morally obligated to obey the sovereign
This is necessary since it prevents us from slipping back into the State of Nature and the war of each against all
Sovereign can do anything short of taking our life
There is no such thing as an unjust law

23. Sovereign

24. The obligations we make in the terms of the social contract are to each other, and as such bind each of us, not the sovereign.
Sovereign

25. Sovereign
The sovereign is not part of the contract.

26. III. Autonomy and Authority
Hobbes’ solution is practical when our autonomy is threatened by a lack of authority
It solves the problem of incompatible wants.
Authority means allowing something to have unequivocal will to do whatever it wants

27. III. Autonomy and Authority
If sovereign has authority, this means we are under moral obligation to others to obey the sovereign
We cede the right to do anything we want to do (our liberty) in exchange for doing anything the sovereign does not forbid

28. III. Autonomy and Authority
On Socrates and other fools
Recall Socrates and the position of the philosopher in the city
Philosopher thinks for himself, so we have the problem of trying to retain autonomy and resist authority
For Socrates, this was an irreconcilable conflict as authority means giving to others the ability to make my moral choices/objections

29. III. Autonomy and Authority
Hobbes sees this as no problem, inasmuch as – given the baseline (the state of nature), it is always better to recognize authority
Through moral sympathy and imagination – we can put ourselves in the position of other people – we can recognize that if I disobey, then others will, and we’re right back in the state of nature and the war of each against all.

30. III. Autonomy and Authority
And only a fool would want that
So..

31. Obey the sovereign