Thomas+Hobbes

Thomas Hobbes was a 17 th  century political philosopher, very prevalent in the Era of Enlightenment, and somewhat of a renaissance man, a man whose theories still hold water in political institutions to this day. He is often considered the founder of modern political philosophy, or one of its earlier thinkers, in some circles. His main concerns were socio-political order and peace among the populace of wherever, people living together harmoniously without fear or frequent danger. He believed this could be achieved through adherence to a strict code of laws set in place by an absolutist power, called a sovereign. This power would govern the people through a social contract, or an agreement between the two, to protect the citizens, and in this situation, the sovereign had complete control, thus the term “Absolutism” came to be one used to describe Hobbes’s government.

__Life and Times __
Hobbes was born in 1588 to a clergyman and an unremarkable mother in Malmesbury, England. His education was paid for by a much more affluent uncle, and in school, he showed considerable talent. He attended Oxford at one point, but often conflicted with their generally scholastic philosophy, and studied on his own terms. Afterward he tutored a child of the Cavendish family, a noble clan through which he gained most of his access to books and introductions to other bookish individuals, like Francis Bacon, who he contacted frequently. He eventually became a math tutor and friend to King Charles II, pushing him into a world of intellectual influence that he seemed very well suited for.

Soon after his accession to higher rungs of British society, the English Civil War broke out. In the confusion, shambles and chaos of the war, Hobbes, a royalist, or someone who favored the King and royalty over a Republic, feared for his life. He held many close relations to several aristocrats, thinkers, and royals, which he believed put him in the sights of rebellious forces. He fled to France as soon as the war broke out in 1642, and he made several close friends among philosophers there, like Marin Mersenne, and created a huge rivalry with the great Rene Descartes. When the war ended in 1651, he moved back to England, and although the monarchy was eventually restored alongside the Parliament, Hobbes always had someone gunning for him and his controversial ideals, prompting him to burn some of his papers more than once.

Hobbes lived in a very hard time for most Englishmen. The Civil War was a crazy jigsaw of politics, economy, religion, and regional tension. Hobbes had seen this chaos firsthand, and had plenty of time to observe it and its effects on people. This time didn’t hinder his ability though, and he continued to write, publish and debate even into last years, often dictating to a secretary, instead of writing. He died in 1679 of what seemed to be Parkinson’s disease, or “Shaking Palsy”, as it was diagnosed at the time.

Hobbes wrote several books in his lifetime, on very differing topics, the most famous of his being //De Cive //(1642) and //Leviathan //(1651), known for his most polished thoughts on politics and morality.

__Political and Moral Thoughts and Theories __
Although Hobbes was interested in many subjects, such as science, math, law, translation, and religion, his biggest impact were in the fields of Ethics/Morality and Politics.

One of the most greatly stressed ideas in Hobbes’s writing, especially in Leviathan, is the belief in the Social Contract, or the idea that people come together to be governed under mutual consent of the governors and citizens, and explains the appropriate relationship between the two. This idea is common in very many Western countries today, where the power to rule itself is derived from the consent of the governed, or those being ruled over. A common example would be our own United States Constitution. Hobbes believed that the one thing people desire the most is protection from fear and death, and will give up rights to protect themselves from the two. The Social Contract forms out of the desire to be protected, a desire to be free of the term Hobbes coined “The State of Nature”.

Hobbes’s “State of Nature” was the state of a world without government. People in this world have no rights or liberties, only freedoms. In the State of Nature, every single person has the freedom to do and have whatever they want, and since interests often conflict, this means a perpetual state of war. Although, in this anarchy a man could do or have anything he wanted, he couldn’t without fear of someone else killing him and taking his possession and ability to live and therefore do anything. This is why the individual signs into a Social Contract, because in it, he has the right to live and work toward doing and having certain things, without the fear of it being taken away in any sort of instability, like violence. The ability to have certain rights that are protected by a stronger force overrides the human minds need to have complete freedom; safety is a key factor in Hobbes’s government.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">Hobbes boils this down to a basic morality that is supposedly ingrained in the psyche of the person. In lawlessness, the State of Nature, the goal of the person is to protect himself, by any means necessary, which would often mean abandoning what would seemingly be property. If the person is instead being protected, he has the right to live and keep that property, as long as he is residing under the control of the government. This comes to the second morality. When a person is being governed, within the bounds of the Social Contract, his goal is to obey the ruling power, because it protects his rights. If he doesn’t obey the sovereign power, it often doesn’t have the consent of those under it, and it reverts back into the State of Nature, where no one generally wants to be.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">In order to ultimately be protected, under a stable government, in Hobbes’s mind, that government needs to be in total control. The sovereign power would be completely obeyed by all its subjects and would hold all the power because it has the people’s best interests at heart. It held control of all the reins: the ability to make laws, set precedents, commit atrocities, and all the other things governing bodies everywhere do are all within its grasp. Anything done that is particularly harmful is justified, because the Sovereign preserves the peace and is doing everything for its people. If one were to rise up and revolt against the sovereign, things are back to the State of Nature once again. Hobbes was all about not being there, having seen the English Civil War Up Close.

Works Cited Aubrey, John. "A Brief Life of Thomas Hobbes." //Oregon State University//. Web. 27 May 2012. <http://oregonstate.edu/instruct/phl302/texts/hobbes/hobbes_life.html>. Duncan, Stewart. "Thomas Hobbes." //(Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy)//. 11 Mar. 2009. Web. 27 Mar. 2012. <http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/hobbes/>. Finn, Stephen. "Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy - Hobbes Methodolgy." //Hobbesâ// //  //// Methodology //// Â //// [] //. 25 Mar. 2008. Web. 26 May 2012. <http://www.iep.utm.edu/hobmeth/>. Williams, Garrath. "Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy - Thomas Hobbes." //Hobbes, Thomas: Moral and Political PhilosophyÂ []//. 5 July 2005. Web. 25 May 2012. <http://www.iep.utm.edu/hobmoral/>.

Works Cited (Paintings)

Bosse, Abraham. //Frontispiece, Leviathan//. 1651. Etching.