Thomas Hobbes

Birth and Death of Hobbes

Thomas Hobbes, an English philosopher and political theorist, was born in 1588. He
passed away in 1679.

Where was Hobbes born?

He was born in Westport near Malmesbury, England.

Parents
He was born prematurely when his mother heard of a coming invasion of the Spanish
Armada.
His father, also named Thomas, the vicar of Charlton and Westport, abandoned them
to the care of his older brother, Francis, when he was forced to flee to London
after being involved in a fight with a clergyman outside his own church.

Later years
When he returned to England, he occupied himself with literary pursuits and
translated Thucydides into English. The translation was published in 1628.
He later became interested in math and analysis, especially geometry.

Leviathan
It was at Paris that Thomas Hobbes wrote his famous philosophical treaty,
Leviathan, which argues for a social contract and rule by an absolute sovereign.
Leviathan was published in London in 1651.

In 1655, Hobbes published the first section of his philosophy system, the De
corpore.
In 1658, Hobbes published the second section of his philosophy system, the De
homine.
Hobbes Philosophy System
Rest of Hobbes life
For the rest of his life, Hobbes occupied himself with literary labors; translating
the whole of Homer into English and writing controversy.

Education
Hobbes education in Oxford made him interested in classical literature but
uninterested in Aristotelian logic.

After Oxford
In 1608, Hobbes left Oxford and became a tutor of Earl of Devonshire, William
Cavendish.
Being a close friend of the Cavendish family gave him a chance to travel around
Europe and meet many leading thinkers.

Principles of motion.
Hobbes saw human beings as machines that reacted to chains of action and reaction.
As machines, human beings pursue their own self-interest relentlessly, mechanically
avoiding pain and pursuing pleasure.

Emerging scientific method, geometry.

Hobbes believed that true science and philosophy must be based in the solidity of
definitions like the definitions of geometry.
Conflict between King Charles I and the Parliament
that led to the English civil war and the execution of Charles.
This revitalized Hobbes' political interests
Hobbes' Question
How is social order possible?
Imagine two situations:
Government (the law of nature)
No government (the state of nature)

Which would you choose?

A Question for You:

Hobbes' opinion
Thomas Hobbes says that you would choose government because life in the "State of
Nature" would be �solitary, poor, nasty, brutish, and short�.

The State of Nature

1. Hobbes describes the natural condition of humanity as a �war of all against all�
because everyone wants the same thing but they cannot have it due to scarcity.
Therefore, all men can become aggressively competitive.

2. Men are born evil and can�t live together in peace unless there is a common
power to keep them in order.

3. All men are equal in their state of nature because, according to Hobbes, even
the weakest among us can kill the strongest by forming groups.

Why do Men Fight?

Hobbes says that men fight for three reasons:
1.To defend themselves, their liberty, and and their goods.
2. Pride and false esteem he has for his own strength.
3. Competition: They all want the same thing and in order to win it, they fight for
it.

Hobbes believed that in order to get rid of all evil, competition, war, and
everything bad; people must agree to the laws of nature and the social contract.

Laws of Nature & Social Contract

1st law of nature:
- Seek peace
- Defend yourself
2nd law of nature:
- Be willing to trade freedom or liberty for security and peace.

What are the Laws of Nature?

In order to accomplish the laws of nature, people must agree to the social
contract.

Social Contract
The Social contract was an occurrence during which individuals came together to
give up their rights in exchange for security. Through the Social Contract, people
give up their State of Nature.

Ex. Alia agrees not to kill Fatma, if Fatma agrees not to kill Alia.
What is the Social Contract?
In Other Words...
Hobbes on Government
Hobbes believed that humans can�t live together in peace unless there is a common
power to keep them in order.
He argued that a supreme sovereign power (king or queen) must exist in a country.
The king or queen rules with ultimate power. It is not limited and their power
cannot be taken away from them because it is believed to be given by God (Divine
Rights of Kings).
This government system is also known as an Absolute Monarch.

Hobbes' Philosophy Summary

Why was Hobbes significant?
The reason he is so important is because he was one of the first modern thinkers.
He moved away from the idea of natural order and laid the groundwork for modern
liberalism.

Influence On Modern Society

Hobbes greatly influenced the creation of our nation.
Various Subjects
Hobbes covered a huge range of subjects, including: history, geometry, theology,
ethics, general philosophy and what would now be called political science.

His idea of people being selfish and brutal and his thoughts on the role of
government led to more investigations by modern philosophers.

Investigations
After the Revolution, his ideas also influenced federalists in arguments to adopt
the Constitution.
Constitution
Encouraged the idea of an Absolute Monarchy in which the monarch exercises ultimate
governing authority as head of state and head of government
Governments
In Conclusion
Whether one agrees with Hobbes or not, there is no denying the enormous impact he
has left on modern thought. If people value social order, absolute monarchy, and
peace as an ultimate goal, it is because of his teachings.

state of nature vs. law of nature

Thomas Hobbes
State of nature/
War of all against all

Unhappy life
Individuals give up liberty for security