Transcript Hobbes`s Vision of the Human

Philosophy 224
Hobbes’s Vision of the Human
Thomas Hobbes (1588-1679)



Hobbes lived during a
time of great social
upheaval.
The events of the English
Civil War gave him
concrete experience of
the dangers of social
disintegration.
Like Confucius, much of
his philosophical work is
devoted to trying to
establish the basis for a
stable and just society.
Leviathan
Though he published on a
number of topics, Hobbes
is best known for his book
Leviathan (1651).
 The opening pages of the
book are marked by two
distinct themes: 1)his
distaste for scholasticism
(Aristotelianism as updated
by Aquinas and others), and
2)his commitment to the
methods and
accomplishments of the
emerging natural sciences
(materialism).

Philosophical Materialism
Like many other philosophers from this era (the
era of modern philosophy), Hobbes was a
philosophical materialist.
 In general, this metaphysical position is committed
to the following assumptions:

1. Monism: everything is material, for Hobbes, even
God is a material being.
2. Corpuscularism: material reality ultimately resolves
into fundamental material particles. The behavior
and appearance of wholes is wholly a function of
the interaction of these parts.
3. Mechanism: All phenomena explained by
mechanical interaction of the ‘corpuscles.’
The Human Machine
Consistent with his commitment to
materialism, Hobbes took the position that
human beings, including their minds, were
completely material.
 Hobbes’s account of the human mind and
knowledge was an essentially empiricist one:
ideas in the mind are caused by sense
experience, which is ultimately resolvable
into fundamental material particles.
 We are, in our bodies and minds, complex
wholes completely resolvable into the causal
parts of which we are composed.

Our Natural State

Hobbes’s operative assumption is that
human beings are fundamentally equal in
physical and mental abilities.
◦ Differences do exist, but in practical terms they
don’t amount to much (e.g., the weak can gang up
to overpower the strong).
◦ This is particularly true with regard to mental
abilities. Key claim: everyone is content with their
‘share.’

Implication: “equality of hope in the attaining
of our ends” (98).
Naturally Egoistic


As we all have equal hope, when we have a
desire in common with another, we are
naturally in competition with that other,
“they become enemies” (98).
Hobbes is making a few assumptions here:
◦ Human beings are selfish by nature.
◦ Human beings aggressively seek to satisfy our
desires.
◦ The objects of those are desires are limited.

If he’s right about these assumptions, we can
understand why people view others as a
threat or an obstacle in achieving their goals.
A State of War
Given this natural enmity, we can
understand why, absent some “common
power” our natural state is one of war:
“every (hu)man against every (hu)man”
(99).
 In such a situation, no industry, culture or
development is possible and thus, “the life
of man [is] solitary, poor, nasty, brutish,
and short

Surprising Implications

In the state of nature, there is no right
and wrong, “Where there is no common
power, there is no law; where no law, no
injustice” (101).
◦ Hobbes thus rejects the idea of a
transcendent morality, insisting that all moral
norms are social in origin.

There is also no property. There is only
possession.
No Rules, but Passions
While there are no rules, human actions
are governed by causes, namely emotions
(passions).
 These passions do provide an incentive to
avoid conflict, thus showing us a way out
of the state of war.

◦ These passions are:
1. Fear of death
2. Desire for comforts
3. Recognition that comforts can be obtained.
Natural Rights?
The regularities observable in human
capabilities and behaviors allow us to
articulate basic principles which can serve
as the basis for both social forms and
determinate moral principles.
 The starting point is what Hobbes calls
The Right of Nature: the right to protect
your own life in the best way suggested
by reason.

Natural Laws


On the basis of this natural right, Hobbes
then moves to specify two corresponding
natural laws.
These laws specify the rationally optimal
means of preserving your life.
◦ The First Law of Nature (102) is to seek peace
whenever possible, and when it is impossible
defend yourself by any means necessary.
◦ The Second Law of Nature (102) is to be willing
to give up your unfettered claim to natural goods
to the extent necessary for common agreement.
The Social Contract


The force of these rights suggests that the
best way to achieve a stable social order, one
maximally protective of each individual’s life
while preserving as much of their liberty as
possible, is to conceive of the social order as
a form of contract (104).
Each individual willingly renounces their
claim on everything in exchange for
protection in their person and in their
goods.
Theorems of Morality


The contract is accomplished in the general
acknowledgement of a number of
subordinate moral principles (articulated in
Chapter XV).
These include general principles like:
◦
◦
◦
◦
◦
◦
keep your promises
reciprocate gifts and kindnesses
be accommodating
pardon people
seek rehabilitation, not revenge
be friendly