Thomas Hobbes | De Cive
Chapter 1-5 | The goal of politi cs: PEACE
- The problem: ' Man is ... Not born fit for society '
- Natural law does not give us a way out of the state of nature.
Chapter 5-13 | The soluti on: creati on of a COMMONWEALTH
- For a political community we need a common will.
- Accord between brute creatures is natural, but accord between men is artificial.
- Need a common power to instil fear.
How a commonwealth is made?
- Each man subjects his will to the ill of a single other.
Defi niti on of a commonwealth?
- One artificial person that comes as a result of an agreement between individuals to give up their will. It is a single
will.
Defi niti on of sovereign authority?
- The greatest power that is created artificially when we give up our right to everything - 'summam potestatem'
Fear:
- Brought about by a state of nature, by equality.
The sovereign's powers by right:
- sword of justice
- civil law
- opinions and doctrines
- property (no individual property rights outside the commonwealth because everyone owns everything)
Sovereign holds absolute power:
- can't be subject to civil laws
- can't be divided
- can't be subject to any other judgement
- a necessary feature of the commonwealth
Obedience of the citi zen to the Sovereign:
- to the greatest possible power is owed the greatest possible obedience
- not obliged to kill yourself
- not obliged to kill the Sovereign
- not obliged to 'do something worse than death' e.g. Kill a parent
- cannot rightly abolish the sovereign power
Chapter 1-5 | The goal of politi cs: PEACE
- The problem: ' Man is ... Not born fit for society '
- Natural law does not give us a way out of the state of nature.
Chapter 5-13 | The soluti on: creati on of a COMMONWEALTH
- For a political community we need a common will.
- Accord between brute creatures is natural, but accord between men is artificial.
- Need a common power to instil fear.
How a commonwealth is made?
- Each man subjects his will to the ill of a single other.
Defi niti on of a commonwealth?
- One artificial person that comes as a result of an agreement between individuals to give up their will. It is a single
will.
Defi niti on of sovereign authority?
- The greatest power that is created artificially when we give up our right to everything - 'summam potestatem'
Fear:
- Brought about by a state of nature, by equality.
The sovereign's powers by right:
- sword of justice
- civil law
- opinions and doctrines
- property (no individual property rights outside the commonwealth because everyone owns everything)
Sovereign holds absolute power:
- can't be subject to civil laws
- can't be divided
- can't be subject to any other judgement
- a necessary feature of the commonwealth
Obedience of the citi zen to the Sovereign:
- to the greatest possible power is owed the greatest possible obedience
- not obliged to kill yourself
- not obliged to kill the Sovereign
- not obliged to 'do something worse than death' e.g. Kill a parent
- cannot rightly abolish the sovereign power
