hobbes

what does hobbes compare the state (commonwealth) to?

leviathan, sovereignty, magistrates, laws, wealth, people

leviathan = artificial man

sovereignty = the soul

magistrates = joints

laws = nerves

wealth = strength

people = body parts

what is the origin of all thought?

sense → motion caused by external objects, which is then carried to the brain/heart

what is imagination?

deacying sense → lingering motion after the object is gone, also called fancy

memory is strong imagination that lasts

how does hobbes define dreams?

dreams = imaginations during sleep

caused by inward bodily motions when external rest

often confused with vision, leading to superstition

what is a train of though or mental discourse?

a succession of one imagination to another

can be unguided (wandering) or guided (directed towards a goal)

what is prudence?

experience based foresight of outcomes

not certain knowledge

but conjecture based on past signs

2 types of motion in animals

vital motions (automatic → blood, pulse, breathing)

voluntary motions (intentional → walking, speaking)

appetite and aversion?

appetite = motion toward something

aversion = motion away from something

good = what we desire

evil = what we avoid

what are the 3 main causes of quarrel in the state of nature?

competition (for gain)

diffidence (for safety)

glory (for reputation)

describe life in state of nature

without common power = war of every man against every man

life is poor, nasty, brutal and short

what is right of nature?

liberty each man has to use his power for self preservation

what is the first law of nature?

seek peace and follow it

if peace is impossible, defend yourself by all means

what is second law of nature?

law down your right to all things if others are willing to do the same

basis of contract

what makes covenant bindings?

mutual transfer of rights

enforced by fear of coercive power

without enforcement, covenants are void

what is the commonwealth?

artifical person created when individuals covenant to give their power to one sovereign

uniting their wills for peace and defense

what is leviathan?

the great artificial man (commonwealth/state)

whose sovereign power represents the will of all for peace and protection

what are the 2 ways sovereignty can be established?

by acquisition → force, conquest, family

by institution → voluntary convenant for protection

why is hobbes called the “first liberal?”

he focused on individual rights and self preservation as the basis of political order

what is hobbes empiricist principle?

all knowledge begins in sense of experience

infants are born with no ideas

imagination stores and manipulates sensory images

how does hobbes describe “everything as matter in motion”

knowledge, perception and events all result from motion and cause effect chains

nothing happens without a cause

what are animals according to hobbes?

physiological machines

lack souls, but their brains still process motion and sensation

hobbes views on cause and effect

every event has a cause

nothing happens spontaneously

science works because it studies these necessary laws

deism

belief in a rational creator who designed the natural order

god plays little role in hobbes arguments

but the rational order of the world suggests a rational maker

compound images

the mind can combine sensory images (horse + man = centaur)

imagination is material manipulation of images

how does hobbes link las casas and the new world

european propaganda (about cannibals, savages) influenced ideas of “natural man”, shaping hobbes emphasis on self preservation

theory of self preservation

the most fundamental drive

in a world with scarce resources (like apples on a tree)

people will fight, deceive or kill to survive

why does state of nature suck?

full of fear, competition and insecurity

no one will build or create

life is unstable

what moved people from the state of nature towards the commonwealth?

articles of peace, generated by desire (hope) and aversion (fear)

gives people reason to form agreements and submit to a sovereign

what is the social contract

everyone consents to give up their natural rights to a sovereign

who has absolute power to protect the commonwealth

what do individuals get in return for giving up rights?

nothing, except order and protection

benefits peace and law

why do people agree to obey the sovereign?

laws and orders are preferable to chaos

consent of all makes the sovereign legitimate