Hobbes Flashcards
What is the Leviathan?
The commonwealth or state, an artificial man, just of greater stature. Sovereignty gives it life.
What is the origin of thought?
-Sense, rest is derived from this
What happens if an object is removed from our eyes?
-We retain an image but more obscure, this is imagination
Imagination is nothing but…
decaying sense
what is it when we express and signify the decay of sense?
-this is memory
What is the noblest of inventions and why?
- Speech
- Without it there would be no commonwealth, no society, no peace
Whats the general use of speech?
-to transfer our mental discourse into verbal
What are the special uses of speech?
- to find the cause of something past or present
- to show others our knowledge
- to make our wills known to each other
- to pleasure and delight ourself
What are the abuses of speech?
- When men deceive by registering their thoughts wrong
- when they use metaphor and deceive
- declaring something to be your will when it isn’t
- giving each other grief
What does man do when he reasons?
-he conceives a sum total
what is reason?
-Reason is the reckoning of the consequences of general names agreed upon for the making and signifying of our thoughts
What is endeavour?
-the small beginning of motion, the will to do something
What is endeavour towards something? and away from something?
- Towards something it’s desire
- Away from something its aversion
How do we gain most appetites and aversions?
-Through experience and the trial of their effects on us and others
Are men equal?
- In faculties of body yes
- Some are stronger and some are weaker. but the weakest man can kill the strongest through plotting or combining with others
what is the nature of man? and why?
- To believe that some may be more witty or eloquent but none will be as wise
- this is due to us experience of us only receiving our wisdom directly
When do men become enemies?
when they desire the same thing
In the state of nature, which three principles cause quarrel?
- Competition
- Diffidence (modesty/shyness from lack of self-confidence)
- Glory
What state do men exist in without a common power to keep them in awe?
-state of war
What are the laws of nature?
-The passions which incline men to peace, fear of death, etc
What is the right of nature?
-liberty men have to use their own power for the preservation of their own nature
What is liberty?
- The absence of external impediments
- impediments may often stop someone doing what they would, but cannot stop him from using power left to him according to his judgement
What governs people in the state of war?
- Everyone is governed to their own reason
- Every man has a right to everything
What are the two main rules of nature?
- Strive for peace
- By all means we can defend ourselves
What does a covenant need to not be void?
-A common power
What is a person?
-Someone whos words or actions are considered their own, or as representing someone else, or any other thing
What are the different types of person?
- Someone who acts on their own accord is a natural person
- Someone who represents someone else is a feigned or artificial person
- Person who has someone reflecting their words, is an author
Why is it important that every man consents to the covenant?
-It’s the unity of the represent not the unity of the represented that makes the person one
What is the design of men in establishing a commonwealth?
their own preservation so that they can live a better life. They can remove themselves from the constant condition of war
War is inevitable when men have no power to keem them in awe and tie them by fear of punishment to a covenant
What is the only way to erect a strong stable common power?
-To confer all power into one man, or an assembly of men that reduce all wills into one
What are the two ways power can be attained?
- Natural force, where a man makes people submit to him or his government, as he would be able to destroy them if they refused. This is a commonwealth by acquisition
- men agree amongst themselves to submit to a man or assembly, this is a political commonwealth by institution
What happens if a few dissented to the covenant but most agreed?
-Those who dissented must consent with rest
Why can’t the sovereign do any injury to his subjects?
- he acts through thier authority
- Someone complaining of injury from the sovereign, complains about something of which they are the author
What are the different types of sovereign in commonwealth?
- Representative is one man, it’s a monarchy
- assembly open to all men is a democracy
- assembly open to part is an aristocracy
Why does Hobbes feel monarch is best type of sovereign?
- Monarch’s political body is same as the public body, will act in public interest
- Monarchs can receive counsel of those well versed in issues, assembles can’t
- The only inconsistency monarch’s resolutions are subject to is human nature/ assemblies other inconsistencies like contrary opinion
- A monarch cannot disagree with himself out of envy or interest, assembly can
What role is fear playing in a commonwealth by institution and by acquisition ?
- In a commonwealth by institution men subject themselves to it through fear of each other
- In a commonwealth by acquisition men subject themselves to it through fear of sovereign
- in both cases fear is the motivation, covenant proceed from fear of death and violence
What are the two ways dominion can be acquired?
- Paternal dominion by generation: this is the right parent has over their child, god has assigned man a helper.
- Despotical dominion/ dominion acquired by conquest: This is where dominion is acquired to the victor in a war. The vanquished becomes a servant
When can we say someone does not have liberty?
-If someone cannot move or is having their movement confined, unable to act on their will
Whats the issue with conflating free and liberty?
-that which is not subject to motion is not subject to impediment, the way can be free but this isn’t liberty.
Why are fear and liberty consistent and what example is given?
- Just because we are scared doesn’t mean we can’t act on our will in that moment
- a man throws all his goods off a boat into sea through fear of sinking. He does this willingly and can refuse if he wants, but it’s in his interest to stay alive as liberty and necessity are consistent.
