unaccountable sovereign […] otherwise what awaits us is a “state of nature” that closely resembles civil war- a situation of universal insecurity” (iep.utm.edu). These words express Thomas Hobbes’ version of philosophical absolutism. He believes that a world without a government yields disorder and lunacy. Hobbes‚ in his book The Leviathan (1651)‚ communicates a crucial need: a ruler who can keep the world in order‚ a feared‚ all-powerful ruler. He concludes in his book that the world needs a leviathan
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Consent to Fear Throughout Thomas Hobbes’ Leviathan‚ there are numerous references to the emotion of fear in human nature and it’s effects as one of the defining principles of human interaction. It helps set up a foundation of sorts for some of the main points of Hobbes’ liberal view on the governing body of society and a basis for the “Social Contract Theory”. As Hobbes’ continually points out‚ in a state of nature‚ fear is the most antagonizing force that a man produces to be used against
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Machiavelli as well as Hobbes have different views but also had similar ones. Machiavelli was a man that was interested in the perseverance of the Prince rather than that of the regular people. On the other hand Hobbes was looking out for the well-being of the whole community. When we look at both we can see what they mean and how it is still relevant to today’s politics. There is also a third person to look at and compare with Machiavelli and Hobbes‚ which is Rousseau. Each of the men listen above
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shall be exploring John Locke’s ideas on why humanity needs to enter a social contract and how this is gone about. John Locke was born in 1632‚ around the time of the English Civil war and the ascendency of Cromwell‚ which can be seen as great influences on the content of his works and his political beliefs. One issue which is relevant to this subject is the amount of time Locke dedicated to refuting Filmer’s idea of divine right to sovereignty‚ believing instead that only God has absolute authority
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Hobbes would argue that the insurgents should not have rebelled‚ that they have no right that they deserve whatever punishment the Sovereign wants to give them. Hobbes would have said that if it was not for the rebels‚ the Sovereign would have been able to fight the Islamic State when they first started. After defeating this other Commonwealth‚ the Islamic State‚ the Syrian government could have worked to improve the situation for all its subjects. But now that the Commonwealth is in a State of War
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Hobbes argues that the sovereign’s absolute authority is vital to the self-preservation and maintenance of civil peace of the commonwealth. Without these‚ there would be civil war and chaos. He believes that the benefits of having a sovereign outweigh the disadvantages‚ despite the many rights that the sovereign is entitled to. This is why Hobbes believes that those living under the rule of the sovereign still exercise freedom. For Hobbes‚ liberty is defined as the ability to act in accordance to
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but such a system would have to take for granted Hobbes’ values and rationality—it would not work ‘right out of the box’ as deontology or utilitarianism does; more on this later. For now‚ let’s assume that our purpose will require an appeal to a Pareto Superior alternative to Hobbes. Theories abound of how to do this‚ but we need one that can do this without permitting state coercion‚ while also accounting for morality. Unfortunately‚ it is difficult‚ though not impossible‚ to find compelling examples
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begin to investigate how other things and other beings fit into your own world. Basho and Hobbes are two very intellectual thinkers/writers that come from around the same time periods. However‚ despite the years between these two intellectuals they share many common themes. Basho was a Japanese writer from the 17th Century focusing on himself within nature and the surrounding environments interacting. Hobbes was a thinker/writer that existed
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Leviathan. In the state of nature‚ men are not magnanimous beings. A notion similar to the first sin‚ yet different from a philosopher like Jean Jacque Rousseau. It has always been taken for granted that there are wicked and virtuous humans‚ yet for Hobbes‚ humans are innately wicked. These notions‚ however abstract and contradictory they may seem‚ are demonstrated in this short paper; Hobbes’s chapter 13 of Leviathan is abridged in this paper. First‚ the inclinations that drive men to behave in a wicked
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What is the argumentative function of Hobbes’s ‘state of nature’ and of Rawls’s ‘original position?’ Compare these accounts and critically assess their cogency. Both Hobbes’ ‘state of nature’ and Rawls’ ‘original position’ are used to provide individuals with good reason to consent to a social contract and to accept their state. The two arguments are formulated with quite different end goals in mind. The ‘state of nature’ presents a terrifying world without reason or safety and is designed to force
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