The Leviathan: Difference between revisions

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Philosophical treatise by Thomas Hobbes first published 1651. Full title: Leviathan, or the matter, form and power of a common wealth ecclesiastical and civil

The title refers to the book of Job in the Bible. There, 'leviathan' denotes a sea monster of which is said that there is no power on earth which is comparable to its power. Hobbes uses the leviathan as a symbol of the political power of the state which alone is able to establish peace and security among men.

Hobbes' view was influenced by the power struggle between King and Parliament and the Civil Wars. Hobbes starts out from a state of nature, in which men behave like wolves fighting against each other, driven by fear and desire. Man acts like an animal if bereft of rules and regulations. However, the strongest passion of this animal is its fear of death. Consequently, man has a strong instinct of self-preservation and he understands that in the lawless state of nature, "his right to everything is a right to nothing" (Lev, 13), i.e. it is very likely that he will lose all his gains as soon as another person longs for the same as he does. Thus he realises that he has to leave this state of nature if he wants to lead a life worth living.

This is where the Leviathan comes in: human beings leave the state of nature via concluding a contract with each other to give over their power (their right to everything) to one person or an assembly of persons (for fear of tiresome discussions and quarrels - as seen in Parliament - Hobbes favours the single-person-solution, though). This person/assembly thus becomes the Leviathan, or the "mortal God". However, although every man agrees in a contract to transfer his power to the Leviathan, this Leviathan himself is only the benefactor of this contract and no party to the agreement. Otherwise he would not have have the absolute power which is necessary to secure peace among his subjects and to enforce laws.

Sources:

Oxford Companion to Literature

Longer Biography available on Luminarium.org [1]

Kersting, Wolfgang: Thomas Hobbes, Hamburg: Junius 2004.

Röd, Wolfgang: Der Weg der Philosophie, Hamburg: [Publishing House?] 1996.

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 The title refers to the book of Job in the Bible. There, 'leviathan' denotes a sea monster of which is said that there is no power on earth which is comparable to its power. Hobbes uses the leviathan as a symbol of the political power of the state which alone is able to establish peace and security among men.
-Hobbes' view was influenced by the power struggle between King and Parliament and the [[Civil Wars]]. Hobbes starts out from a state of nature, in which men behave like wolves fighting against each other, driven by fear and desire. Man acts like an animal if bereft of rules and regulations. However, the strongest passion of this animal is its fear of death. Consequently, man has a strong instinct of self-preservation and he understands that in the lawless state of nature, "his right to everything is a right to nothing" (Lev, 13), i.e. it is very likely that he will lose all his gains as soon as another person longs for the same as he does. Thus he realises that he has to leave this state of nature if he wants to lead a life worth living.
+Hobbes' view was influenced by the power struggle between King and [[Parliament]] and the [[Civil War|Civil Wars]]. Hobbes starts out from a state of nature, in which men behave like wolves fighting against each other, driven by fear and desire. Man acts like an animal if bereft of rules and regulations. However, the strongest passion of this animal is its fear of death. Consequently, man has a strong instinct of self-preservation and he understands that in the lawless state of nature, "his right to everything is a right to nothing" (Lev, 13), i.e. it is very likely that he will lose all his gains as soon as another person longs for the same as he does. Thus he realises that he has to leave this state of nature if he wants to lead a life worth living.
 This is where the Leviathan comes in: human beings leave the state of nature via concluding a contract with each other to give over their power (their right to everything) to one person or an assembly of persons (for fear of tiresome discussions and quarrels - as seen in Parliament - Hobbes favours the single-person-solution, though).