Hobbes on Political Obligation

Question 1

What is needed to stay out of the state of nature?

Answer 1

Need for a third party - empower the third party as the supreme authority. The state will act as the guarantor so that neither persons will find it in his/her interest to escalate conflict into violence.

Question 2

What are the Laws of Nature?

Answer 2

These are ‘dictates of reason’ (pg. 111) - they are a set of principles that specify what makes action rational.

Question 3

Why is life better under a supreme authority?

Answer 3

Gives assurance to people, people can enter contracts safely, have productive divisions of labour, state ensures wages are paid.

Question 4

What does a Right of Nature mean?

Answer 4

Each individual is free and has the liberty to use his own power for self-preservation.

Question 5

What does liberty mean?

Answer 5

The ability to act according to one’s will without being physically hindered from performing that act.

Question 6

What does the Law of Nature mean?

Answer 6

Law derived from reason, specifying what is required to preserve life, these laws can be found upon rational reflection.

Question 7

What is the Fundamental Law of Nature?

Answer 7

The Fundamental Law - seek peace but if it is not achievable you may defend yourself by all means necessary.

Question 8

What is the 2nd Law of Nature?

Answer 8

Give up your liberty to do what you want, to the extent that all others do so as well, in order to achieve peace.

Question 9

What is the 3rd Law of Nature?

Answer 9

Perform contracts (covenants).

Question 10

How does the Fundamental Law work?

Answer 10

We are entitled to anything even to take life if it will increase our own chances of survival.
Each has a natural right to do anything.
Reason tells us to seek peace if there is a chance if not to engage in war to defend ourselves.
Seeking peace - only happens if other are doing the same.

Question 11

What the 2 clauses in the Fundamental Law?

Answer 11

1. Must clause - law of requirement, if there is a chance of peace MUST seek it, cooperate.
2. War clause - can’t seek peace you may defend yourself.

Question 12

How does the 2nd Law work?

Answer 12

As everyone has a natural right to everything (even the bodies of others) - we should give up these rights to keep the peace.
We can create non-conflict spaces by reciprocally giving up rights, the more rights we give up the bigger the space of non-conflict grows.

Question 13

What is the issue with the 2nd Law?

Answer 13

Just making these promises - won’t give us assurance, can’t trust everyone, no reason to believe everyone will keep their promises.

Question 14

How does the 3rd Law work?

Answer 14

Making promises won’t provide us assurance - so we need to hand over all our rights to a third party.

Question 15

Why is an external agent important for covenants? (3rd Law)

Answer 15

Individuals can’t make credible commitments - people have temptations to break promises.
Need an external agent to enforce this.
If one person gives into temptation it can lead other - can’t believe.
Without this central coordination - rational for people to drop out of the cooperative situation.
Need to perform covenants - ensures all people promise - through coercive power to compel people to equally.

Question 16

What is the social contract?

Answer 16

Every individual makes a contract with everyone else to renounce their rights to govern themselves. Confer these rights to an artificial person to unite them - a Commonwealth represented by the Sovereign (the Leviathan).

Question 17

How does the social contract work?

Answer 17

All agree and promise not take anything from each other for the sake of peace. Covenant between people and sovereign - relinquish rights.
Web of promises creates sovereign states with authority and power, if impaired the contract becomes weak.

Question 18

What is the state?

Answer 18

Multitude of individuals who have rendered themselves safe - can enter agreements, live life by putting themselves under this figure.

Question 19

What is gained under a sovereign?

Answer 19

Gain a body of people, community and commonwealth.

Not just individuals for themselves, stops conflict.

Question 20

How do you avoid the Prisoner’s Dilemma?

Answer 20

Behave as if your state had been created this way, acknowledge total authority, obey them.

Question 21

Why are humans rights and state restriction meaningless?

Answer 21

State does more then uphold justice and rights. These concepts are meaningless.
The state of nature shows the alternative without authority, so it is rational to give up rights for our safety.

Question 22

What Hobbes’s problem with democracy?

Answer 22

People are bad at reaching decisions, change their minds, having a one-person monarch is the best option.

Question 23

What are the 2 ways sovereigns can rise?

Answer 23

1. Institution

2. Acquisition

Question 24

How do sovereigns rise through institution?

Answer 24

‘when men agree amongst themselves to submit to some man or assembly of men voluntarily on confidence to be protected by him against all others’ (pg. 121).

Question 25

How do sovereigns rise through acquisition?

Answer 25

Where a sovereign ‘subdues his enemies to his will. giving them their lives on that condition’ (pg. 121).

Question 26

Does the way the sovereign rise matter?

Answer 26

Same power not matter how the sovereign comes about, individuals must give up their rights.

Question 27

Why can’t the sovereign treat citizens unjustly?

Answer 27

Since the sovereign is not a signatory to the social contract, it cannot treat its citizens unjustly.
‘there can happen no breach of covenant on the part of the sovereign’ (pg. 122).

Question 28

Why does Hobbes reject absolute political authority?

Answer 28

Individual can have no duty to obey commands that jeopardise her own life.
Individuals do retain the right to self-defence.

Question 29

Why is self-defence inalienable?

Answer 29

The covenant entered with society serves self-preservation. It would make no sense to enter another covenant that strips individuals of their right to resist lethal attacks.

Question 30

What is the problem with self-defence?

Answer 30

You are allowed no assistance, you can defend yourself. But as other people’s rights are being upheld they shouldn’t come to your assistance. Others have a moral duty to accept state rules.