• A man is a group of material particles in motion
• The state--the great Leviathan--is an artificial man in which sovereignty is the soul, the officers the joints, rewards and punishments the nerves, wealth its strength, safety its business, counselors its memory, equity and law its reason and will, peace its health, sedition its sickness, and civil war its death
• Reasoning is the manipulation of names; truth is the correct ordering of names
• Desire is motion toward an object, and aversion a motion away; the good and bad are understood by reference to desire and aversion
• In a state of nature there is a war of every man against every other man; to secure peace men must make contracts establishing a sovereign power who is not subject to civil law since by his will he creates law
• Of the three forms of sovereignty:  monarchy, aristocracy, and democracy, monarchy is the most effective in securing peace, order, and stability

Thomas Hobbes was English, lived between 1588-1679

moved to France because of the English Civil War, 1642-48

English Civil War: Anarchy, Violence, Chaos, the Plague

Hobbes believed this was due to Lack of a strong Monarch

On the other hand:

Hobbes saw the Rise of France under an Absolute Monarch: Louis XIV the Sun King

L'Ancien Regime: Order, Stability, Security, Growth

Legitimate authority = justified exercise of power

• Might Makes Right

• Utilitarian

• Distributive Justice

• Consent of Governed

• Divine Right

DIVINE RIGHT necessarily excludes CONSENT OF THE GOVERNED
because according to HOBBES
people will never form a community on their own

Human beings demand EXTERNAL MOTIVATION

MAZLOW’s HIERARCHY and the MACGREGOR study, 1969:

• THEORY X: Coercion
  AUTHORITARIAN LEADERSHIP
• THEORY Y: Creative
  AUTHENTIC LEADERSHIP

BUT in the STATE of NATURE, all men are EQUAL in ambition, cruelty, and treachery

physical and mental attributes give all of us the equal ability to KILL each other

However, no individual will recognize this as pertaining to himself
Everyone believes that they are superior and so can TAKE what they want,
and KEEP it

Therefore GREED, AMBITION, and DISTRUST
prevent any CONTRACTs between individuals

“Contracts without the sword are only words,
Covenants without a King are useless.”

Life is a continual STATE of WAR:
“NASTY, BRUTISH, and SHORT”

But isn’t everyone equal?

Except those touched by GOD
the “MORTAL GOD”
the LEVIATHAN

GOD creates one individual who is greater than the others in some way
HE creates the community by CONQUEST, FEAR, STRENGTH, POWER

All men are equal in violence, greed, and ability
There is no trust, therefore no contracts
Without Contracts there can be no Peace

God creates a Leviathan who is superior to the others
The Leviathan is the State
The State creates a Community through Force
(by Conquering (Individuals in) Anarchy)

This is equivalant to the Sugar Crystal Experiment in science:
Crystals form around a nail
suspended from the cap of a jar
filled with sugar water

Why do individuals agree to this?
They have three rights: Life, Liberty, Property

In nature, they cannot enjoy any of them.
Because no one can guarantee Life and Property
Liberty is given up to defend Life and Property

Individuals gladly renounce Liberty and Property
for the guarantee of Life

LIFE is the most fundamental human right
Goal Achievement!!

On the other hand, the Leviathan is guaranteed to look out for the good of the community
because HE IS THE STATE

HOBBES is fundamentally a RULE UTILITARIAN:
the greatest good for the greatest number demands the uncompromising application of a set of objective rules

there can be no 'extenuating circumstances'
it is better that a few innocents suffer than any guilty escape punishment

The good of the individual MUST be sacrificed for the good of the community
the system is ALWAYS more important than the individual

Robert A. Crawford.
Copyright © 1998

All rights reserved.
Revised: August 30, 2007