Hobbes' Leviathan: political philosophy and state authority

Thomas Hobbes

It is rather ironic to note that the development of higher philosophic ideas causes man to constrain the whole world within the narrow assumptions of his personal understanding of the world. In such instances, philosophers, who are expected to define and assimilate various conflicting ideas into an acceptable explanation of the world, shrink their perspectives and adamantly defines the world within limits set by them.

The ideas of Thomas Hobbes can be considered as narrow and very limiting because he considered the world to work only according to physical laws and definitions. Hobbes' travels throughout Europe brought him in contact with great minds in the field of politics and science, and their interaction was a definite factor that prompted him to write The Leviathan. Hobbes did not have any explanation for the finer and more subtle elements in the world and considered all aspects of life in a purely mechanical perspective. In fact Hobbes believed that the flow of human emotions happened exactly according to the law of physics. He was of the view that the finer and often intangible elements in human life could only be believed and not proved to exist as he writes:

Singly, they are every one a representation or appearance of some quality, or other accident of a body without us, which is commonly called an object. Which object worketh on the eyes, ears, and other parts of man's body, and by diversity of working produceth diversity of appearances." (Hobbes, Chapter 1, 1660).

This view attributed arbitrariness to human emotions and feelings which according to Hobbes, differed from one person to another. Hence according to Hobbes, mental sensations in the human mind were caused by the interaction of physically tangible substances, both within and without the human system. According to him, the basis of human intellect and emotions lay in the tangible physical plane.

While explaining the thought processes in human beings, Hobbes maintained that there was nothing like innate ideas in a human being. The entire thought processes that work in us, including our memories, are a consequence of experiences that we are exposed to in this life. According to Hobbes, these ideas are not innately present in us and exist only because of our experiences in life. It may be seen that this view clearly is in conflict with genetics.

Hobbes gave great importance to language and always believed that higher faculties in human beings originated only after a proper language was firmly in place. He believed that philosophy, which could not be expressed due to lack of a language, was useless and limited to one person. In his treatment of philosophy and language, he believes that philosophy could not have originated without language or other concrete faculties of human culture. He does not seem to accept the fact that there are values that are less spoken, but which are expressed beyond the grasp of words.

Hobbes ideas on motivation were an extension of his beliefs on ethics. He was a strict believer of the importance of rules and rightful conduct in society and considered public acceptance as a great motivator of men. In fact he believes that certain rules bind men to social norms and that they have to obey those rules to be acceptable to the public. According to Hobbes, respectable men adhere to laws and regulations in order to be considered as respectable by the society.

As far as politics was concerned, Hobbes was particularly critical of Aristotle. Hobbes felt that Aristotle's views were too rigid that the society would stop dead in its tracks if the views of Aristotle were to be valid. On the other hand, modern political ideology that he proposed was based on constant motion or change and improvement. He believed that the political sciences are not isolated value systems and that these systems have to be in motion in order to adapt itself to the changing political scenarios in the world. Many also consider that Hobbes was authoritarian because he always believed that the citizen could not exist without the active role of the state. Hobbes vehemently echoed the idea that to ensure order and stability in the society, a central authority must make its presence felt. He also believed in the fact that free will is inferior to determinism and naturally felt that the rules of cause and effect are valid. He also gave much importance to peace and believed that the human race cannot exist by being hostile to each other. In particular he believed that a state must be in constant touch with other states so that mutual cooperation and friendship can be established (Hobbes, 1660)