Hoorcollege 1 - Hobbes and the state
Power: the ability to command, steer and control
Types of power:
● State power - vertical (Hobbes)
● Disciplinary power - horizontal (Foucault)
● Economic power - structural (Marx)
Main question: “How to offer a philosophical legitimation of state power?”
- What is the state?
- How did the state originate?
The state - definitions
1. “The state is a form of human association distinguished by the purpose, the
establishment of order and security, its methods, the laws and their reinforcement; its
territory, the area of jurisdiction or geographical boundaries, and finally, its sovereignty.
The state consists of the agreement of the individuals on the means whereby disputes
are settledon the form of laws.” - Encyclopedia
2. “Human community that (succesfully) claims the monopoly on the legitimate use of
psychical force within its given territory” - Weber
What is the state?
- Centralization: monocentrist
- General Laws
- Population
- Distinction between public and private interest
- Vertical power
- Sovereignty
- Abstract, symbolic representation
- Modern
- Monopoly on violence
Before the modern state
● Polycentrism: the ‘power’ layed by noblists, cities and/or the church
● Lack of a monopoly on force
● Customary laws
● Troubled distinction between private and public
● Disputed territories
● Religious foundations
Hobbes and historical context
● Lived from 1588 - 1679
● In the turbulent 16th and 17th centuries
- English Civil War
, - Colonialism
- Early capitalism
● Scientific revolution
● Secularization (the church becoming less and less important)
Hobbes’ legitimation: starting points
● A secular legitimation/foundation
- Of (vertical) power in general
- State power in particular
● Based on scientific principles
● Early liberalism: justification of restrictions/power
A philosophical Anthropology
- Hobbes sees man as a material being, who tries to obtain objects of desire.
- Inspired by Galileo’s Principle of the Preservation of Motion: Life as Motion
- People are fueled by desire, aim to achieve objects of desire
Felicity: the succes in achieving objects of desire
Power: as a means to achieve objects of desire
Equality: Nature has made men equal in their physical and mental capacities
Scarcity: Because resources (of desire) are limited, people often desire the same things. This
leads to rivalry.
Competition: Given equality and scarcity, people compete with one another to secure what
they need or want - which leads to conflict.
This causes general distrust. People cannot trust each other, since they know that others are
also self-interested and might take what they have or want. Out of fear and mistrust, individuals
may choose to strike first. “Kill or be killed’ as a form of self-defense.
Need for glory: Beyond basic needs, humans seek recognition, status and respect. This desire
for glory can lead to further violence.
Honor and reputation as weapons: in the absence of central authority, honor and reputation
become tools for survival. If someone is seen as weak, they are more likely to be attacked, so
people defend their honor through displays of strength.
State of nature
This all results in a ‘war of all against all’, a state of nature, where there’s:
- A constant treath of violence
- No civilization (no agriculture, no economy, no higher culture)
- No just or unjust, no morality
, - Life as ‘poor, nasty, brutish, and short’
This is not a historical concept, but a thought experiment: given our nature, what would a life
without regulating power look like?
It’s a hypothesis, but with empirical references:
- Civil war
- ‘Locking our doors’ so no one breaks into your house
- Relations between nation states
- Work floor without management/procedures
How to escape the state of nature:
‘So much for the poor condition that is actually placed in by mere nature, but as I now go on to
explain, he can extricate himself from it, partly through his passions, and partly through his
reason”
Passions: passions that incline men to peace are fear of death, desire for things tha are
necessary for comfortable living and a hop to obtain these by hard work.
Reason: suggests convenient items in a peace treaty that men may be got to agree on. These
items are the ones that on other contexts are called the Laws of Nature.
Contract and Natural Laws
1. State of nature and right of nature
In the state of nature, there is no central authority or government. Each person has a
right of nature: the natural liberty to use any means necessary to preserve their own
life, even violence.
2. Reason leads to agreement/contract
Although the state of nature is chaotic and dangerous, reason helps humans recognize
that peace is in their best interest. Through reason, individuals are led to form
agreements or contracts to escape this state of war.
- Mutual consent
These agreements require mutual consent: people voluntarily give up certain
freedoms in exhange for the benefits of peace and security.
3. Law of Nature
- Defined as “a command or general rule discovered by nature” that guides
humans toward peace and self-preservations.
Key Laws of Nature according to Hobbes:
- Seek peace and follow it
- Lay down the right to all things (if others do the same)
- Kep covenants (honor the agreements made, which is essential for trust and
order)
, 4. Individual and collective rationality
It’s individually rational to seek peace for self-preservation, but collective peace only
works if everyone agrees to the same rules, hene the need for a common authority to
enforce contracts.
5. Collective agreement: legitimacy, morality and justice
A social contract, created through mutual consent, establishes a sovereign authority. His
sovereigns legitimacy comes from the collective agreement of the people. Justice and
morality arise from this agreement, not from nature, but from the rules we create
together.
In summary: In Hobbes’ view, natural laws and contracts are the rational solution to escaping
the dangers of the state of nature. Peace is only possible when everyone agrees to limit their
own freedoms and respect the agreements they make — enforced by a powerful, legitimate
authority.
Commonwealth
1. The need for coercive power
To maintain peace, security, and order, there must be a coercive power strong enough to
enforce laws and ensure that people keep their agreements (covenants).
2. A transfer of power to the sovereign
To escape the state of nature. People transfer their natural rights to a sovereign.
3. Source of unity
The sovereign serves as a source of unity.
4. A mortal god
Hobbes calls the sovereign a mortal god, a human institution with god-like authority over
its citizens, necessary to maintain civil order.
5. An institution
It is an institution, created by the social contract, designed to last over time. Its role is to
protect its members and enforce laws, ensuring justice, security, and stability.
Definition commonwealth
“When some man or assembly of men is chosen by majority vote to present the person of them
all, each of them will authorize all the actions and judgements of tat man or assembly of men as
though they were his own, doing this for the purpose of living peacefully among themselves and
being protected against other men. This binds those who did not vote for this representative, as
well as those who did”
Hobbes’ theory reveals that society, morality, and order are not natural but political —
established by a contract and maintained by an authoritative institution. There is no social
without the political, and no peace without power.
Power: the ability to command, steer and control
Types of power:
● State power - vertical (Hobbes)
● Disciplinary power - horizontal (Foucault)
● Economic power - structural (Marx)
Main question: “How to offer a philosophical legitimation of state power?”
- What is the state?
- How did the state originate?
The state - definitions
1. “The state is a form of human association distinguished by the purpose, the
establishment of order and security, its methods, the laws and their reinforcement; its
territory, the area of jurisdiction or geographical boundaries, and finally, its sovereignty.
The state consists of the agreement of the individuals on the means whereby disputes
are settledon the form of laws.” - Encyclopedia
2. “Human community that (succesfully) claims the monopoly on the legitimate use of
psychical force within its given territory” - Weber
What is the state?
- Centralization: monocentrist
- General Laws
- Population
- Distinction between public and private interest
- Vertical power
- Sovereignty
- Abstract, symbolic representation
- Modern
- Monopoly on violence
Before the modern state
● Polycentrism: the ‘power’ layed by noblists, cities and/or the church
● Lack of a monopoly on force
● Customary laws
● Troubled distinction between private and public
● Disputed territories
● Religious foundations
Hobbes and historical context
● Lived from 1588 - 1679
● In the turbulent 16th and 17th centuries
- English Civil War
, - Colonialism
- Early capitalism
● Scientific revolution
● Secularization (the church becoming less and less important)
Hobbes’ legitimation: starting points
● A secular legitimation/foundation
- Of (vertical) power in general
- State power in particular
● Based on scientific principles
● Early liberalism: justification of restrictions/power
A philosophical Anthropology
- Hobbes sees man as a material being, who tries to obtain objects of desire.
- Inspired by Galileo’s Principle of the Preservation of Motion: Life as Motion
- People are fueled by desire, aim to achieve objects of desire
Felicity: the succes in achieving objects of desire
Power: as a means to achieve objects of desire
Equality: Nature has made men equal in their physical and mental capacities
Scarcity: Because resources (of desire) are limited, people often desire the same things. This
leads to rivalry.
Competition: Given equality and scarcity, people compete with one another to secure what
they need or want - which leads to conflict.
This causes general distrust. People cannot trust each other, since they know that others are
also self-interested and might take what they have or want. Out of fear and mistrust, individuals
may choose to strike first. “Kill or be killed’ as a form of self-defense.
Need for glory: Beyond basic needs, humans seek recognition, status and respect. This desire
for glory can lead to further violence.
Honor and reputation as weapons: in the absence of central authority, honor and reputation
become tools for survival. If someone is seen as weak, they are more likely to be attacked, so
people defend their honor through displays of strength.
State of nature
This all results in a ‘war of all against all’, a state of nature, where there’s:
- A constant treath of violence
- No civilization (no agriculture, no economy, no higher culture)
- No just or unjust, no morality
, - Life as ‘poor, nasty, brutish, and short’
This is not a historical concept, but a thought experiment: given our nature, what would a life
without regulating power look like?
It’s a hypothesis, but with empirical references:
- Civil war
- ‘Locking our doors’ so no one breaks into your house
- Relations between nation states
- Work floor without management/procedures
How to escape the state of nature:
‘So much for the poor condition that is actually placed in by mere nature, but as I now go on to
explain, he can extricate himself from it, partly through his passions, and partly through his
reason”
Passions: passions that incline men to peace are fear of death, desire for things tha are
necessary for comfortable living and a hop to obtain these by hard work.
Reason: suggests convenient items in a peace treaty that men may be got to agree on. These
items are the ones that on other contexts are called the Laws of Nature.
Contract and Natural Laws
1. State of nature and right of nature
In the state of nature, there is no central authority or government. Each person has a
right of nature: the natural liberty to use any means necessary to preserve their own
life, even violence.
2. Reason leads to agreement/contract
Although the state of nature is chaotic and dangerous, reason helps humans recognize
that peace is in their best interest. Through reason, individuals are led to form
agreements or contracts to escape this state of war.
- Mutual consent
These agreements require mutual consent: people voluntarily give up certain
freedoms in exhange for the benefits of peace and security.
3. Law of Nature
- Defined as “a command or general rule discovered by nature” that guides
humans toward peace and self-preservations.
Key Laws of Nature according to Hobbes:
- Seek peace and follow it
- Lay down the right to all things (if others do the same)
- Kep covenants (honor the agreements made, which is essential for trust and
order)
, 4. Individual and collective rationality
It’s individually rational to seek peace for self-preservation, but collective peace only
works if everyone agrees to the same rules, hene the need for a common authority to
enforce contracts.
5. Collective agreement: legitimacy, morality and justice
A social contract, created through mutual consent, establishes a sovereign authority. His
sovereigns legitimacy comes from the collective agreement of the people. Justice and
morality arise from this agreement, not from nature, but from the rules we create
together.
In summary: In Hobbes’ view, natural laws and contracts are the rational solution to escaping
the dangers of the state of nature. Peace is only possible when everyone agrees to limit their
own freedoms and respect the agreements they make — enforced by a powerful, legitimate
authority.
Commonwealth
1. The need for coercive power
To maintain peace, security, and order, there must be a coercive power strong enough to
enforce laws and ensure that people keep their agreements (covenants).
2. A transfer of power to the sovereign
To escape the state of nature. People transfer their natural rights to a sovereign.
3. Source of unity
The sovereign serves as a source of unity.
4. A mortal god
Hobbes calls the sovereign a mortal god, a human institution with god-like authority over
its citizens, necessary to maintain civil order.
5. An institution
It is an institution, created by the social contract, designed to last over time. Its role is to
protect its members and enforce laws, ensuring justice, security, and stability.
Definition commonwealth
“When some man or assembly of men is chosen by majority vote to present the person of them
all, each of them will authorize all the actions and judgements of tat man or assembly of men as
though they were his own, doing this for the purpose of living peacefully among themselves and
being protected against other men. This binds those who did not vote for this representative, as
well as those who did”
Hobbes’ theory reveals that society, morality, and order are not natural but political —
established by a contract and maintained by an authoritative institution. There is no social
without the political, and no peace without power.
