Hobbes+background

For Thomas Hobbes (1588-1679), writing against the backdrop of the English Civil War, the question of proper governance was paramount. As a monarchist sympathiser, it is perhaps unsurprising that the //Leviathan// concludes that an absolute sovereign is the best form of government. What was revolutionary was his methodology, where the explicit aim was to stipulate fundamental principles about human behaviour and see where they led. As opposed to previous political theorists who appealed to divine covenant or utopian philosopher-kings, this mechanistic view of humamity was a prescient insight, and threatened some of the most cherished institutional myths about human nature.

Hobbes was a prodigious intellect, being admitted to Oxford at age 14 and becoming a classicist. He published the first english translation of Thucydides' //History of the Peloponnesian War//, which undoubtedly would have exposed him to an uncomprimising view of nation-states which would have mirrored contempory Europe. But it was Euclid's //Elements of Geometry// which most impressed Hobbes. The ability of geometry to move with logical precision from postulate to conclusion seemed irresistable, and even induced a brief flirtation with mathematics in which Hobbes clumisily convinced himself that he had squared the circle, an impossible task.

This geometric reasoning was what Hobbes aspired to apply to society. He reasoned that if he could postulate a strong hypothesis about human nature, and follow it ineluctably through to its conclusions, then the resultant system of governance would be logically unassailable. Clearly, he failed in this aim, but the application of the method of theoretical science to society remains a crowning achievement.

Summarised from: Philip Ball, //Critical Mass: How One Thing Leads to Another// (2004), 7-37.

While Hobbes traveled throughout European countries he came to wonder why people allowed themselves to be ruled. In his most famous work, The Leviathan, published in 1651, he argued that human beings are innately wicked and selfish **This is a common misinterpretation of Hobbes 1220679574** and could not be trusted to govern or make their own decisions **Again, a misinterpretation of Hobbes 1220679574**. And like people, he believed states were also naturally self interested -- the epitome of a realist position. **like I said in lecture, I am officially banning the word "realist" unless it is given some convincing justification 1220679574** Despite this very realist assertion, Hobbes did hope that a group of representatives that spoke on behalf of the 'common people' would prevent the king from being entirely cruel and unfair **This is not really the argument of the Leviathan 1220679574**. In fact it's from Hobbes's work that the phrase 'voice of the people' comes from. **No, the phrase was common in Roman rhetoric: vox populi suprema lex, for example 1220679574**


 * Source? 1220679574**