Study Notes on Thomas Hobbes' Leviathan

Non est potestas Super Terram qua Comparentur

  • Reference: Job 24

LEVIATHAN

  • Subtitle: OR THE MATTER, FORME, & POWER OF A COMMON-WEALTH ECCLESIASTICAL AND CIVIL
  • Author: BY THOMAS HOBBES
  • Year: 1651
  • Published in: London, Printed for Andrew Crooke

CONTENTS

  • Introduction
  • Part 1: Of Man
    • Chapter 1: Of Sense
    • Chapter 2: Of Imagination
    • Chapter 3: Of The Consequence Or Trayne Of Imaginations
    • Chapter 4: Of Speech
    • Chapter 5: Of Reason, And Science
    • Chapter 6: Of The Interiour Beginnings Of Voluntary Motions
    • Chapter 7: Of The Ends Or Resolutions Of Discourse
    • Chapter 8: Of The Vertues Commonly Called Intellectual; And Their Contrary Defects
    • Chapter 9: Of The Severall Subjects Of Knowledge
    • Chapter 10: Of Power, Worth, Dignity, Honour And Worthiness
    • Chapter 11: Of The Difference Of Manners
    • Chapter 12: Of Religion
    • Chapter 13: Of The Naturall Condition Of Mankind, As Concerning Their Felicity, And Misery
    • Chapter 14: Of The First And Second Naturall Lawes, And Of Contracts
    • Chapter 15: Of Other Lawes Of Nature
    • Chapter 16: Of Persons, Authors, And Things Personated
  • Part II: Of Common-Wealth
    • Chapter 17: Of The Causes, Generation, And Definition Of A Common-Wealth
    • Chapter 18: Of The Rights Of Sovereigns By Institution
    • Chapter 19: Of The Severall Kinds Of Common-Wealth By Institution, And Of Succession To The Sovereign Power
    • Chapter 20: Of Dominion Paternal And Despotic
    • Chapter 21: Of The Liberty Of Subjects
    • Chapter 22: Of Systems Subject, Political, And Private
    • Chapter 23: Of The Public Ministers Of Sovereign Power
    • Chapter 24: Of The Nutrition, And Procreation Of A Common-Wealth
    • Chapter 25: Of Counsell
    • Chapter 26: Of Civil Laws
    • Chapter 27: Of Crimes, Excuses, And Extenuations
    • Chapter 28: Of Punishments, And Rewards
    • Chapter 29: Of Those Things That Weaken, Or Tend To The Dissolution Of A Common-Wealth
    • Chapter 30: Of The Office Of The Sovereign Representative
    • Chapter 31: Of The Kingdom Of God By Nature
  • Part III: Of A Christian Common-Wealth
    • Chapter 32: Of The Principles Of Christian Politics
    • Chapter 33: Of The Number, Antiquity, Scope, Authority, And Interpreters Of The Books Of Holy Scriptures
    • Chapter 34: Of The Signification Of Spirit, Angel, And Inspiration In The Books Of Holy Scripture
    • Chapter 35: Of The Signification In Scripture Of Kingdom Of God, Of Holy, Sacred, And Sacrament
    • Chapter 36: Of The Word Of God, And Of Prophets
    • Chapter 37: Of Miracles, And Their Use
    • Chapter 38: Of The Signification In Scripture Of Eternal Life, Hell, Salvation, The World To Come, And Redemption
    • Chapter 39: Of The Signification In Scripture Of The Word Church
    • Chapter 40: Of The Rights Of The Kingdom Of God, In Abraham, Moses, High Priests, And The Kings Of Judah
    • Chapter 41: Of The Office Of Our Blessed Saviour
    • Chapter 42: Of Power Ecclesiastical
    • Chapter 43: Of What Is Necessary For A Man's Reception Into The Kingdom Of Heaven
    • Chapter 44: Of Spiritual Darkness From Misinterpretation Of Scripture
    • Chapter 45: Of Daemonology, And Other Reliques Of The Religion Of The Gentiles
    • Chapter 46: Of Darkness From Vain Philosophy, And Fabulous Traditions
    • Chapter 47: Of The Benefit That Proceeds From Such Darkness, And To Whom It Accrews
    • A Review, And Conclusion

THE INTRODUCTION

  • Definition of Nature: The art where God has made and governs the world.
  • Relation between Nature and Art: Art imitates Nature by creating Artificial Animals.
    • Definition of life: Life is mere motion of limbs originating in a principal part.
    • Definition of Automata: Engines that move by springs and wheels, resembling life.
    • Analogy between Heart
      the Spring, Nerves as Strings, and Joints as Wheels:
    • Purpose of Art: Create artificial entities for protection and defense.
  • Common-Wealth: Defined as an Artificial Man of greater stature and strength than natural mankind, containing:
    1. Sovereignty as an artificial soul
    2. Judges and officers as artificial joints
    3. Reward and punishment as the nerves
    4. Wealth as strength
    5. Safety of the people as the primary business
    6. Counselors as memory
    7. Laws as artificial reason and will
    8. Concord as health
    9. Sedition as sickness
    10. Civil war as death
  • Definition of Pacts and Covenants: Similar to "Let Us Make Man", as articulated during Creation.
    • Outline of Discussion in the Book:
    1. The matter and artificer of the commonwealth
    2. How it is made by covenants
    3. The rights and powers of sovereignty
    4. What preserves or dissolves it
    5. The Christian commonwealth
    6. The Kingdom of Darkness

Part 1: OF MAN

CHAPTER 1: OF SENSE
  • Definition of Thought: Representations or appearances of qualities or accidents of objects.
  • Origin of Thoughts: Every conception originates in the sense organs.
  • Natural Cause of Sense: External body pressing the appropriate sensory organs triggers perceptions through nerve motion to the brain.
    • External Pressure: Causes reactions felt as sense, producing various appearances (light, color, sound, etc.).
    • Misconception of perception through externalities: Objects and their qualities are not identical, as shown by observation and distance.
  • Philosophical Schools: Criticism of Aristotelian views on sense and understanding.
CHAPTER 2: OF IMAGINATION
  • Definition of Imagination: The persistence of thought and imagery from prior sensory experiences.
  • Nature of Motion: Once in motion, a body continues unless acted upon.
    • Imagination: A member of mental discourse, derived from past perceptions (simple and compounded).
  • Memory: The decay of sense leads to imagination and is subject to time and distance.
  • Types of Imagination:
    1. Simple: Image of a whole object (e.g., a horse).
    2. Compounded: Combination of images to form new concepts (e.g., envisioning a centaur).
CHAPTER 3: OF THE CONSEQUENCE OR TRAYNE OF IMAGINATIONS
  • Mental Discourse: The succession of thoughts, not entirely random.
  • Unguided vs Regulated Thoughts: Differentiation between wandering thoughts and those directed by desires or passions.
  • Plausible connections: Exploring mental connections amidst the chaos of wandering thoughts, even when seemingly unrelated.
CHAPTER 4: OF SPEECH
  • Invention of Speech: A vital tool for communication and societal function, credited to divine instruction.
  • Types of Names: Differentiation between proper, common, universal, and their significance in registering thoughts.
    • Benefits of Speech: Utility in memory retention and mutual understanding; however, it can lead to communication breakdowns if not utilized correctly.
  • Abuses of Speech: Identification of common pitfalls in language usage that do not convey genuine thoughts or can mislead.
CHAPTER 5: OF REASON, AND SCIENCE.
  • Definition of Reason: The mental accounting process of adding and subtracting thoughts and concepts.
  • Right Reason: Aligning discourse firmly with definitions ensures sound reasoning and conclusions.
  • Error and Absurdity: Various forms of miscalculation stemming from rational disarray or lack of definitions lead to false conclusions.
CHAPTER 6: OF THE INTERIOUR BEGINNINGS OF VOLUNTARY MOTIONS
  • Vital vs. Animal Motion: Distinction between involuntary (life-sustaining) and voluntary motions initiated by the mind.
  • Terms of Desire and Aversion: Basic definitions of emotional begins such as desire, love, and their opposites.
CHAPTER 7: OF THE ENDS OR RESOLUTIONS OF DISCOURSE
  • Discourse Goals: Exploring the conclusion processes in thought, governed by desires for knowledge and resolution in judgment.
CHAPTER 8: OF THE VIRTUES COMMONLY CALLED INTELLECTUAL; AND THEIR CONTRARY DEFECTS
  • Intellectual Virtues Defined: Elevating abilities that are valued due to their presumed utility and excellence.