Hobbes Flashcards
what is hobbes’ political context
escalation of civil conflicts and state conflicts across Europe (religio-political wars, populist / parliamentary challenges to divine right)
England’s religio-political right
Conflicts over terms of political obligation
what are two differences with Hobbes compared to other previous authors
Looking to develop a science of politics (not relying on historical, drawing on scientific advancements)
Breaks down political community into constituent parts
what is the implication of Hobbes’ scientific approach
political community is constructed, not natural
Why does Hobbes focus on speech
speech is the basis for scientific analysis, and for human society
h, what does speech consist of
names / appellations
connections between these components
communicating these to others
h, humans rely on speech to
understand our world, live in our world but speech can be misused
h, what is the highest purpose of speech
to understand causality
h, true and false are attributes of
speech, not of things
h, speech allows for
common, accepted definitions of things, these should be the foundational concepts for analysis
what is Hobbes’ computational understanding of reason
grouping, categorizing, establishing logical relationships between things
h, proper reason must be founded on
accurate names / definitions
faulty foundations = faulty conclusions
otherwise the result is absurdities
what does hobbes say about science
it generates knowledge of cause and effect
what does hobbes think that people’s actions are driven by
internal motions, both voluntary and involuntary
h, internal motions generate our basic responses
appetite / desire for things we want / love
aversion for things we want to avoid / hate
contempt when we’re indifferent
T/F for Hobbes, there is no absolute good or bad, just what we label through our desire and aversion
True
does hobbes think humans are evil
no, but he believes that humans are self centered, making conflict inevitable
what is deliberation for hobbes
is the internal process of the merging of desire and aversion and our assessment of achieving or avoiding them
what is will for hobbes
the final impulse that settles the determination for action / inaction (this means that deliberation is a bounded finite process)
what does hobbes think about free will
in one sense it a logical absurdity
we’re driven by desires / aversions and inhibited by the actions of others
therefore free will can only ever be provisionally free
h, power can be
combined or amplified
what is felicity for hobbes
the state of happiness, fulfilling your desires, anticipation of fulfilling your desires or being happy based on previous success
what are some characteristics of felicity for hobbes
lack of power / power of others inhibits happiness / felicity
felicity can only be temporary
happiness isn’t rest or tranquility, because it most constantly be resecured
what is Hobbes’ conclusion about felicity
we want to securely fulfil our desires, but we can’t. This uncertainty generates “contention, enmity and war”
what is equality in the state of nature
equality of vulnerability. these conditions generate uncertainty, distrust and conflict (even pre-emptive actions are allowed for self preservation)
what is the state of war
not only active fighting, it includes any condition where security isn’t guaranteed
there is no foundation for the good life, civilization
what is hobbes’ mechanistic picture of humans
calculating machines that are driven by passions and are self interested
how does hobbes suggest we escape the inevitable conundrum of conflict
use reason to discover optimal ways to live together, and still prioritize self preservation
h, what is the law of nature
is a general rule, determined by reason, by which a person is forbidden to do that which is destructive of his life or take away the means of preserving his life and to leave out that by which it may be best preserved
h, what is the right of nature
every man has the right to do whatever it takes to preserve his own nature and his own life and determine the most appropriate means to do so according to his own reason
h, what is the conundrum of the state of nature
laws of nature prevent us from putting our lives at risk, but the right of nature gives us wide range to do whatever is necessary to protect our lives and because every man has a right to everything, even to another’s body, nothing is secure
(we need to protect our lives, but our equally unlimited right to do so puts our ability to do so at risk)
h, what is the first law of nature
aim for peace, but if you can’t achieve it, use all advantages of war
h, what is the second law of nature
make agreements with others to secure your life (be willing to limit your absolute right to self preservation, IF others are willing to do the same)
according to hobbes, how can we rely on others to keep their promises
Fear
h, what is a contract
the mutual transferring of right
h, what is a covenant
a pact to do something in the future
T/F agreements are invalid unless they can be guaranteed
True, otherwise they make us vulnerable
according to hobbes, under what conditions could be reliably covenant
in a civil estate (commonwealth) where a common power will compel us to keep promises
h, what is the third law of nature
follow through on your promises (in a secure situation, covenants establish the possibility of justice / injustice)
H, because humans have unlimited natural liberty, this seems to require
unlimited political authority
what is hobbes’ solution to man’s unlimited liberty
introduce a restraint on ourselves (keeping our passions in check), use reason to develop a solution, fear of punishment allows us to honor covenants, the purpose is still self-preservation (we agree to this only if everyone else does)
Therefore, we trade to equal vulnerability to everyone else in the state of nature for an equal vulnerability to the sovereign in the commonwealth
what is the role of the sovereign
we appoint the sovereign to bear our individual wills and govern
what does the sovereign do
since we give up our right of self-governance, it governs for us and can enforce covenants
the social contract is between
the people, not between the people and the sovereign (the sovereign is not obligated to us)
Hobbes on authorization (artificial persons)
artificial persons can be made up of a number of authorizing individuals, which is what makes sovereign power possible
what does the sovereign establish
the possibility of justice by keeping covenants
why can’t the sovereign be unjust
since i’ve authorized the sovereign, they can’t be unjust to me
according to hobbes, what is the source of justice / morality
the sovereign
what are some characteristics of the sovereign
cannot be punished by subjects
can do whatever is necessary to keep the peace
chooses advisors
dispenses rewards and punishments
decides limits on education and public speech
T/F sovereign power must be indivisible (concentrated in the sovereign)
true, although a few powers can be transferred
what is the purpose of the Hobbesian commonwealth
preservation of bare life, to provide other contentments of life
what are the duties of the sovereign
make good laws, listen to the people, subjects must understand and appreciate the nature of sovereign power
what are good laws according to hobbes
necessary for the good of the people
protect people from themselves
clearly understood
justified in terms of benefitting the commonwealth
the sovereign should listen to the people but
isn’t obligated to represented their views (resonance with Kautilya and Ashoka)
can people really understand Hobbes’ logic
yes to differing degrees, need regular assemblies for public education
what is the real danger to the hobbesian sovereign
clerics and scholars, therefore education must be regulated and constrained
T/F subjects do not retain a wide degree of liberty in everything that the sovereign hasn’t outlawed
false, they do retain a wide degree of liberty
what do the laws of the sovereign do
they don’t constrain our liberty, they enable it, laws ensure others won’t impede our actions
Hobbes is also shifting the requirements of consent
away from explicit or implicit to simply be in line with the logical end of the institution of sovereignty
in modern liberal democracies we have
high expectations of giving consent to be governed, but hobbes is removing most of these expectations, and perhaps drawing attention to the many situations in which we submit to authority through tacit consent
For hobbes, political rights can only be established by covenant, which could include
submission to a conquering power
submission of a baby to its mother, as protector
in the state of nature, dominion is
maternal, child gives implied consent through being nourished
what happens to dominion in Hobbes’ civil society
moves back to male dominion, but hobbes implies that there is nothing natural about patriarchal dominance
what is the advice of chapter 29 about in Hobbes
sovereign power can’t be divided, sovereign is not subject to civil laws, preventing seditious, undermining doctrines (people can’t retain private moral judgement)
