THOMAS HOBBES
“How human beings can
live together in peace and avoid the danger and fear of civil conflict.” “We
should give our obedience to an unaccountable sovereign.” Thomas Hobbes is the
"Founding Father Of Modern Political Philosophy". He is best known
for his political thought, especially in his masterpiece “Leviathan
(1651)”. His main concern is the problem
of social and political order. One of his thesis said that: "The problems
of political life means that a society should accept an unaccountable sovereign
as its sole political authority." Nonetheless, we still live in the world
that Hobbes addressed on: "A world where human authority is something that
requires justification, and is automatically accepted by few; a world where social
and political inequality also appears questionable; and a world where religious
authority faces significant dispute." Hobbes thought in terms of the
equality and rights: "We live in a world where all human beings are
supposed to have rights, that is, moral claims that protect their basic
interests." (paraphrased from: http://www.iep.utm.edu/hobmoral/)
Thomas
Hobbes is an English philosopher who was born on April 5, 1588. He was not born
to any power or wealth influence, he is a son of a disgraced village vicar. He
was lucky that his uncle was wealthy enough to provide for his education, and
that his talents were soon recognized and developed. He was born prematurely
when his mother heard of the coming invasion of Spanish Armada, he later said
that “my mother gave birth to twins: my self and fear”. His childhood is
completely unknown and his mother’s name is unknown. His intellectual abilities
and his uncle’s support brought him to the university at Oxford. He tutored the
son of William Cavendish. This meant that Hobbes encountered the activities of
the King, members of the Parliament, and other wealthy landowners. His
intellectual ability and skills brought him to a place close to power. He also
tutored the future King that time, King Charles II. Hobbes expanded his own
knowledge of philosophy because of tutoring. He later become a regular debater
in philosophic groups in Paris after he visited Florence in 1636. As the scene
for the Civil Wars of 1641-46 and 1648-51 was being set, Hobbes felt forced to
leave the country of England for his personal safety. He lived in France from
1640 to 1651. Becoming a tutor gained him opportunities in many fields. He was
known as a scientist, mathematician, translator of classics, writer on law,
debater in metaphysics and epistemology. He became famous for his writings and
thoughts on religious questions, morality, and politics.
His writings or works
that made his philosophical fame: The Elements of Law (1640) - Hobbes's attempt
to provide arguments to support the King against his challengers. De Cive (On
the Citizen) (1642) - this provides a clear statement about his moral and
political philosophy and has much in common with the Elements of Law. Leviathan
(1651;Latin edition-1668) is his most famous work, it is a classical English
prose that deals with the politics, morality, and questions of religion, it
expands on the argument of De Cive. De Corpore [On the Body] (1655), it deals
with the questions of metaphysics; De Homine [On Man] (1657); and Behemoth, in
which he gives his statement about the England's Civil Wars, this was published
in 1682 but was written earlier.
In October 1679, Hobbes suffered a
bladder disorder, and then a paralytic stroke. He died at the age of 91 on
December 4, 1679. "A great leap in the dark", this said to be his
last words uttered in his final conscious moments. His body was in St.John the
Baptist's Church, Ault Hucknall, in Derbyshire. (paraphrased
from: http://www.iep.utm.edu/hobmoral/
& https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Hobbes)
In Hobbes’s famous work, the Leviathan, he
depicts that all men, including himself, desire peace. After making this
statement, he justified why, if all men desire peace, why do they often find
themselves in a state of war. This brings out the point that, in nature, all
men desire to be better and superior to those that surrounds them (http://www.123helpme.com/preview.asp?id=107365).
Leviathan is divided into four books: "Of Man," "Of
Common-wealth," "Of a Christian Common-wealth," and "Of the
Kingdome of Darknesse." In Book I, Hobbes discussed the natural condition
of mankind. For him, the problems of
political life means that a society should accept an unaccountable
sovereign as its political authority. Otherwise, what awaits us is a “state of
nature” that closely resembles a civil war, as he thinks that some people are
selfish, coward, vainglorious, and many of these kinds are prepared to use
violence to attain what they want if there's no government or authority to stop
them. He also think that in some situation, sometimes, it makes good sense to use
violence and to behave selfishly because some might abuse or overuse their
power. In Book II, he thought that the political authority is artificial: in
the "natural" condition, human beings lack government, which is an
authority created by men. He claims that the only authority that naturally
exists among human beings is that: a mother over her child because the child is
very much weaker than the mother and indebted to her for its survival. He also
claims that there is no natural source of authority to order their lives
together. In Book III, he strongly opposed that established monarchs should
have a natural or God-given right to rule over us. Hobbes made a strong claims
about religion and politics. He was not an atheist as many accused, but he
insist that theological thoughts should be kept out of politics. In Book IV, he
depicts that the sovereign must determine the proper forms of religious
worship, and the citizens should never have a duties to the political authority
that will override their duties to God. (paraphrased
some from: http://www.iep.utm.edu/hobmoral/)
The entire focus of his philosophy was based
on the government and politics and what is the best way to have a stable
country. He felt that the best way to accomplish this was to have a government
to authorize them to achieve peace, so he strove to gain supporters so that
they would be able to form this. His intent in writing the Leviathan was not to
benefit for his own, but to benefit the country and the people who live in it.
He wrote this book in the interest of the people, not for the interest of himself.
He thinks that we can avoid such problems or disagreement in politics if we only obey the government and let the sovereign
authorize us and we can only have a peaceful life if there is a political
authority that can control us because if none, many may take advantage and this
may lead to what he calls "natural condition of mankind" or a civil
wars. I also agree to what he believe that sometimes, we must live with a
certain amount of bad to prevent the worst. In religion, he thinks that we
should never have a duties to the political authority that will override our
duties to God. The established monarchs should have a natural or God-given
right to rule us. In morality, what we ought to do is based on our interest.
When the political authority is lacking, we tend to do mostly about our
interest. When political authority still exists, we ought to do our duties
straightforward and obey the rules and those in power.
I, therefore, conclude that Hobbes
philosophical thoughts about politics is very helpful and useful especially
this present days. We can see that his way of thinking about politics is very
modern and different compared to other political philosophers before him which
is why he is called as "The Founding Father Of Modern Political
Philosophy". Human beings do indeed need of an authority for them to
cooperate and obey peacefully. I agree to what Hobbes' said that the
"natural condition of mankind" or a state of war is what would exist
if there is no government because individuals are in a war of all against all
in which life would be poor, nasty, and short. I suggest that his political
conclusions can be avoided if only we adopt a more realistic picture of human
nature. We should always remember Hobbes's reminder that: "The condition
of man in this life shall never be without inconvenience or trouble."
