Name __________________________________

Pl 100   Philosophy and the Human Condition

The early modern political view of man:  Thomas Hobbes

 

Background:  Review The transition from the Medieval World to the early ModernWorld handout.

 

Thomas Hobbes (1588-1679)  is a good example of this new spirit of scientific inquiry.  He claimed he was born during the British defeat of the Spanish Armada.  He said later, "Fear and I were born twins."

 

Hobbes' view of the universe:   According to Hobbes, the universe is made up of material particles moving according to the laws of mechanics.  We can explain everything in terms of the new science, including man=s behavior.

 

He witnessed political upheaval during his lifetime in England. This experience added to the development of his ideas in political philosophy, particularly the need for a strong monarch.  His political philosophy was based on his observations of the political turmoil of his times.  It is not a description of what ought to be, but what is.  Hobbes argued that we need a strong sovereign to make men agree.  The sovereign decides the law and what is right and wrong.

 

To contrast Hobbes with Plato - Plato believed in the power of reason.  Plato and his followers believed that reason would lead men to form a just political system.   In contrast, Hobbes was antirational.  "He believed there is no reason in the universe; there is only body in motion."  (W. T. Jones, A History of Western Philosophy, Volume III, p. 136).

 

Hobbes' legacy in philosophy was to challenge subsequent philosophers to reconcile the new scientific method (with its emphasis on laws of motion and physical  fact) with the need for values.  As W.T. Jones argues, "If we take medieval philosophy as one philosophical extreme, in which, roughly speaking, the scientific view of reality is ignored in favor of concentration on the valuational view, we may take Hobbism as the other extreme, in which the valuational point of view is ignored in favor of concentration on the scientific.  The history of philosophy after Hobbes was a series of attempts to find a via media between these extremes.  Hobbes' importance lies in the fact that, historically speaking, he was a turning point."  (Jones, p. 153)

 

Hobbes wrote the Leviathan in 1651.  In this selection, Hobbes argues for a strong sovereign who will have enough power to make us live in peace in security. 

 

Assignment:  Read the introduction to Hobbes on p. 434 and then summarize the following paragraphs in the space below.

 

Paragraphs one, two and three (The selection starts on the bottom of p. 434.  Each indentation counts as a paragraph):

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

                                                                                            

 

 

 

Paragraphs four, five, six, seven:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Paragraphs eight, nine:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Paragraphs ten, eleven, twelve:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Paragraphs thirteen and fourteen:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Now that you have the sense of this; in general summarize chapters XIV, XV, and XVII

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Summary of Hobbes= view of human nature:

1.  By nature, we may differ in ability, but we are equal in the hope of achieving our goals. 

2.  Because of our equality, we are in constant competition with others.

3.  In this state of nature without a common power, we are vicious and irrational and egoistic.

4.  We are in a constant state of war, an undesirable condition in which  " . . . the life of man is solitary,   poor, nasty, brutish, and short."

5. We realize that the only way to escape the state of war is by agreeing to a strong ruler with strong  laws who can force us to live in peace.

Therefore, society needs a strong sovereign (a leviathan) to limit our natural aggression and to achieve  peace and security.

 

This summary prepared by Anne Knop, Senior Associate Professor of Philosophy, Manor College Edited by Frank Farrell 2006