Thomas Hobbes Leviathan 1651 HSS Describe the Enlightenment
Thomas Hobbes. Leviathan (1651) H-SS- Describe the Enlightenment and the rise of democratic ideas as the context in which the nation was founded.
“Leviathan”-title of Hobbes’ book • Hobbes used idea of natural law to argue that an absolute monarchy was the best form of government
Human Nature Humans seen at their worst • Selfish • Wicked • Untrustworthy • Dishonest
Humans in Nature-wild, cavemen • People are equal but this is bad because they compete for scarce resources-food, shelter, mates, etc. • Competition leads to violence over resources-perpetual state of war with everyman against everyman • People’s lives would be constant fear and danger of violent death • Your life would be “solitary, poor, nasty, brutish and short”
Social Contract • The Leviathan (or King) gets his power from the people and consent to live under his laws • Leviathan is symbolic for the fear people must have for an absolute monarch • Absolute monarch is godlike with unquestionable authority over his subjects life and death
• Hobbes believed men had no right to rebel even if a ruler became an unjust tyrant • Tyranny was a better condition than the chaos that would result w/o the Leviathan enforcing his laws and providing a safe just society
• In summary, Hobbes believed that an absolute monarch was the best form of government • He was upset and fearful because England had just been through a civil war and his side which supported an absolute monarch had lost
- Slides: 7