Leviathan - Hobbes
Terms
Power: what quality soever maketh a man beloved, or feared (or the reputation of such quality) (ex: to have servants or friends, to be known as liberal or powerful) Value: the amount that would be given for the use of a man's power is his value Honor & Dishonor: the value that someone places on a man, compared to that man's valuation of himself. (ex of honor: to ask for help, to obey, love, fear) Dignity: the public worth of a man Worthiness: Fitness or aptitude gods: a convenient invention of people; created out of fear, desire to know causes, desire for power liberty: absence of external impediments to using one's power law of nature: a general rule, found by reason, that forbids a man to do something destructive to his life Fundamental Law of Nature: that every man ought to endeavour peace, as far as he has hope of obtaining it; and when he cannot obtain it, that he may seek and use all helps and advantages of war. Second Law of Nature: that a man be willing, when others are too, for peace and defence of himself, to lay down this right to all things & be contented with so much liberty against other men as he would allow other men against himself Right of Nature: by all means we can, to defend ourselves Contract: the mutual transferring of right commonwealth: one person, of whose acts a great multitude, by mutual covenants one with another, have made themselves every one the author, to the end he may use the strength and means of them all, as he shall think expedient, for their peace and common defence Morality:
Manners
manners: the qualities of mankind that concern their living together in peace & unity
- no utmost aim or greatest good in life, only endless desire
- Man lives through desires
- the thing a man wants is assurance that he can fulfill his future desires
- What desire? Power, ease
- Desire for power leads to contention, enmity, war
- Love of praise (just another love of power)
- receiving unrequitable benefits from an equal leads to hatred, but from a superior to gratitude & love
Natural condition of man
- men are equal in body & mind (they average out)
- man is not good
- all men have equal experience, because they all have equal time
- equality of ability -> the desire of equality of outcomes (equality of hope)
- every man desires dominion over others unless there is a common power to keep them all in check
- there are no inherent Morality
- this sort of life is "solitary, poor, nasty, brutish, short"
- men are at war when they each hold their Right of Nature. But if they mutually agree to lay down this Right, then they can be at peace [[#The Leviathan]]
- no man can lay down his right to save himself from death, wounds, or imprisonment
- in covenants of trust, unless there is a power over one or both of them, there is no real obligation for either to perform their agreement (words are not strong enough to control men)
- 2 things can make a man keep his word:
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- fear of the consequence
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- glory/pride in appearing not to need to break it
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The Leviathan
Pre-gov
- no objective moral standard - desires, actions are not inherently bad
- there is no right/wrong until there is a law
- there is no law until men have agreed on a lawmaker
- assembly of men give up their power & right to one man: The Leviathan
- they make one person too powerful to defy
- system mentions God frequently, but is not based on him
What does Hobbes get right?
- Nations appear to be in a state of nature
- we do value people by power, at least professionally (plumber, dentist)
- correct observations about how human's act?
- except, doesn't account for friendship, love, an inborn law
- a good explanation of how humans act when bound by sin nature
- this is a coherent system that doesn't rely on God
- explains how we act
- what morality is
- why we need government
Summary of Chs 10-14
Hobbes writes about power, and how it is the thing all men seek after. Power is the most important thing to have. It makes a man beloved or feared. And so, when a man honors another man, he is ascribing to him great power. Even in religion, all men are doing is trying to gain power. The priest tells the layman whatever he needs to keep him in subjection. Every man also has a Right of Nature to whatever he likes, even to other people. War comes about when multiple people try to use this Right of Nature. War can be ended through a contract, which is a mutual transferring or laying down of Right. However, unless there is some external power, the members in the agreement are not obligated to follow their contract. Power rules supreme, and if a man has the power to do something, nothing can stop him.