Analysis Of Thomas Hobbes s Leviathan - 2457 Words

Laviathan, Thomas Hobbes most important work and one of the most substantial philosophical texts of the Seventeenth century, was written largely as a response to the political violence and turmoil of England’s civil wars. In Leviathan, Hobbes, using science and reason as a foundation, attempts to create a concrete and methodological solution for peace and political stability. In the context of a historically violent and fear stricken period in which Leviathan was written, it is logical that Hobbes would claim man’s principal motivation to maintain peace and avoid war is due to a fear of death, therefore forcing man to seek the preservation of life. Hobbes’ central idea in Leviathan centers on the necessity for absolute sovereignty and a commonwealth through covenant (social contract). For Hobbes, past democratic governments only encouraged factionalism and internal conflict within the state. The lack of centralized power served only to distract these governme nts from pressing issues and exterior threats, thus Hobbes believed the presence of a strong central power such as an absolute sovereign would preserve peace. Hobbes presents the essential idea of absolute sovereignty and commonwealth through the metaphor of the Leviathan. The leviathan serves as a symbol for the state. It is described, as a creature whose body is made up of all of the bodies of its citizens while the head of the Leviathan is the sovereign. The leviathan isShow MoreRelatedAnalysis Of Thomas Hobbes s The Leviathan Essay1171 Words   |  5 Pagesused natural law to explain the aspects of humanity, it was these men’s ideas who were key to the era of Enlightenment and life beyond it. Born on April 5 1588, Thomas Hobbes came to be known as one of the greatest philosophers in the world. In his most famous work, the Leviathan, he sets forth his ideas on government and law. Thomas Hobbes believed that all humans were born with sin. He believed that all humans were evil, cruel, greedy, and selfish. Even though he thought we were naturally evil,Read MoreAnalysis Of Thomas Hobbes s Leviathan 1268 Words   |  6 Pagesinterests under a common power. In Leviathan, Thomas Hobbes of Malmesbury writes profoundly on the arrangement of legitimate government and the structure of society by calling to attention the constant vying for â€Å"power after power that ceaseth only in death† (Hobbes, 56). Through his depiction of human interactions, Hobbes claims that there is a perpetual longing for ease and protection, knowledge, and fame (Hobbes, 56-57). When desires are conflicting, Hobbes claims that there is fierce competitionRead MoreAnalysis Of Thomas Hobbes s Leviathan 1622 Words   |  7 PagesIt could be argued that Thomas Hobbes’s claim in Leviathan that a person has no right to challenge his sovereign’s law or decision is flawed because such judgements should serve public good. Since the sovereign power’s authority to make laws or decisions has its source in its subjects, these judgements should reflect what subjects think to be good or evil, instead of prescribing how people should think. However, this argument does not take into account that although there are cases where people canRead MoreAnalysis Of Thomas Hobbes s Leviathan 1891 Words   |  8 PagesIn his book, Leviathan, Thomas Hobbes writes that human beings’ state of nature is one of constant war. He claims that man’s fundamental natural instinct is that of self-preservation, and that this leads to a violent, â€Å"every man for himself† sort of world in which there are no rules, no morals, and all persons have the freedom to do as they please. In other words: our state of nature is anarchy, rampant with chaos and conflict. The only viable alternative to this, Hobbes argues, is voluntary subjectionRead MoreAnalysis Of Thomas Hobbes s Leviathan 1087 Words   |  5 PagesThomas Hobbes (1588 - 1679) is one of t he most important philosophers of the modern age. He was associated with the most advanced thinkers of his time, Galileo, Gassendi, and Descartes. He was the first thinker of modernity that, from a psychological and anthropological analysis, attempts to establish the need for the civil state (Collins 2013). This is the subject of his most famous political work Leviathan, which is a compendium of all his philosophical thoughts (Collins 2013). Hobbes makes observationsRead MoreAnalysis Of Thomas Hobbes s The Book Leviathan 1957 Words   |  8 PagesThomas Hobbes was a 17th century philosopher, who argued that human beings are fundamentally equal by nature, and we infer that humans live under the rule of absolute sovereign. â€Å"From that law of nature by which we are obliged to transfer to another such rights as, being retained, hinder the peace of mankind, there followeth a third, which is this that men perform their covenants made†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Hobbes 89). Hobbes tries to hold back peace, in order to make it seem like everyone is equal. This can createRead MoreAnalysis Of Thomas Hobbes Leviathan And Adam Smith s The Wealth Of Nations1852 Words   |  8 Pages Most important among the many big ideas in Thomas Hobbes’ Leviathan and Adam Smith’s The Wealth of Nations are those that deal with human nature and how to create and maintain social order. In this paper, I will argue Hobbes’ lack of optimism, and Smith’s lack of pessimism in their theories of human nature, and will also discuss how our idea of social order changes once these aspects are taken into consideration. Hobbes’ theory of human nature begins with the statement that all men are createdRead MoreDo Metaphors Really Matter?1208 Words   |  5 PagesDo metaphors really matter? : An analysis of the use of metaphors in rhetoric Introduction Josà © Ortega y Gasset, a renowned philosopher once wrote: â€Å"The metaphor is probably the most fertile power possessed by man†. Metaphors form a pervasive part of rhetoric, because they have a great influence of our cognitive process. (Pauley, 2014) The use of metaphors in rhetoric is very common; as metaphors have the power to make people act despite the ideologies that are being put forth. In this essay, theRead MoreThomas Hobbes: Nature and Origins of Human Thought, Emotion, and Society2678 Words   |  11 PagesIntroduction: The philosophies of Thomas Hobbes are inarguably essential foundations in materialistic thought. Idealists during his time believed that there reality is made up of concepts and nonmatter. In response to the challenge of explaining concepts that seemed only explicable through idealist thinking (such as thoughts and emotions), Hobbes used logic and reasoning to develop materialist theories – some impressively similar in nature to neurobiology. His pessimistic views of society are drawnRead MoreThe s Claim That Freedom Within Nothing More Than The Absence Of Physical Or Legal Constraints1730 Words   |  7 PagesCritically assess Hobbes s claim that freedom consists in nothing more than the absence of physical or legal constraints. In Leviathan, Thomas Hobbes attempts to set up the stage for the understanding of the nature of freedom. The account holds much significance, because, what people understand freedom to be matters a great deal to their past and present life. According to Hobbes, freedom implies â€Å"the absence of opposition (by opposition I mean external impediments of motion) †¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Hobbes, 2005, P157)