Hobbes: On the Citizen - Detailed Notes

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  • Editors: Raymond Geuss, Quentin Skinner

  • Purpose: To provide key texts in Western political thought from ancient Greece to the early twentieth century.

  • Content Structure: Each volume will include:

    • Complete and unabridged texts,

    • Critical introductions,

    • Chronologies,

    • Biographies,

    • Reading guides,

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Thomas Hobbes' "On the Citizen"

Chapter I: On the State of Man Without Civil Society

  1. Introduction: Examines human nature and conditions without society.

  2. Mutual Fear: The genesis of civil society is based on mutual fear among individuals.

  3. Equality of Men: Men are fundamentally equal, yet conflict arises from personal interests.

  4. Natural Rights:

    • Definition of Rights: All rights stem from the necessity to ensure self-preservation.

    • Implied Rights: Rights to pursue ends necessitate rights to means.

  5. State of Nature: Characterized as a state of war, where interests conflict and harm is prevalent.

  6. War and Peace: Definitions provided for war and peace, positing war as the natural condition without societal structures.

  7. Natural Laws:

    • Peace is a necessity derived from human nature.

    • Four faculties of human nature: Physical Force, Experience, Reason, Passion.

  8. Human Behavior:

    • Relationships are driven by self-interest rather than genuine affection.

    • Bonds formed are often predicated on comparison of talents and interests.

    • Political relationships often stem from mutual fear, not goodwill.

  9. Right to Self-Preservation:

    • All men possess an inherent right to defend their interests, deriving from natural law.

    • Preservation entails a right to everything necessary for survival.

  10. Ineffective Rights: The claim that all men have the right to all things becomes impractical in absence of a governing authority.

  11. Conclusion of the State and Society: The transition from natural equality to created inequalities through societal constructs.

Chapter II: The Natural Law of Contracts

  1. Definition of Natural Law: Not derived from agreements but from reason.

  2. Law of Nature: The fundamental law consists of the pursuit of peace.

  3. Transfer of Rights: Rights must not be held; they must be renounced or transferred for peace to exist.

  4. Condition for Valid Agreements:

    • Formalities for effective transfers include explicit consent of both parties.

  5. Invalid Contexts for Agreements: Certain contexts, such as those pertaining to animals or divine vows, lack legitimacy in the natural condition.

  6. Violation of Agreements: Conditions under which promises extracted through duress (fear) are valid.

  7. Role of Oaths: The power of oaths in reinforcing agreements and their equivalency to political obligations.

Chapter III: On the Other Laws of Nature

  1. Summary of the Laws: Various laws identified, including the necessity to stand by agreements, considerations of ingratitude, and obligations of fairness.

  2. Justice: Critical distinction between justice defined by human law and natural equity.

  3. Corruption and Rights: Recognition that sovereign power executes laws, but natural laws act independently based on human equity.

Chapter V: Causes and Generation of a Commonwealth

  1. Function of Commonwealths: Essential to mitigate the inadequacies of natural law.

  2. Original Right of Individuals: Individuals have the right to arranged means for self-preservation against harm.

  3. Formation of Society: Transition from fear-based individualistic actions to combined efforts under sovereign power.

  4. Power Delegation: Citizens ceding power for mutual protection—asserts the need for a governing authority.

  5. Types of Commonwealth: Distinctions between natural and created forms of government (e.g., monarchy, democracy).

Types of Commonwealths

  • Democracy: Power lies with the people and is exercised directly.

  • Aristocracy: Governance by the chosen few, based on wisdom or nobility.

  • Monarchy: Sovereign power vested in one individual, facilitating governance without collective decision-making.

Conclusion: The Nature of Sovereign Power

  • Sovereign power is absolute and utilizes the strength and consent of its subjects.

  • Sovereignty established through agreements, which also stipulate individual responsibilities to authority.

  • Examination of monarchies emphasizes the potential disparity between implied duties and actual governance.

Here are the answers to your concepts, based on the provided notes on Thomas Hobbes's "On the Citizen" and the Cambridge Texts in the History of Political Thought:

  • Period of publication/historical context: The Cambridge Texts series covers Western political thought from ancient Greece to the early twentieth century. Thomas Hobbes's "On the Citizen" is a key text within this broad period, reflecting early modern political philosophy concerning human nature and civil society.

  • Social groups present in their writing/Civil Society: The notes discuss "the state of man without civil society" and the "genesis of civil society" arising from mutual fear. It describes the transition from individualistic actions to combined efforts under sovereign power, implying individuals forming a commonwealth, rather than specific social groups.

  • (State of) Nature: Characterized as a "state of war," where individuals' interests conflict, and harm is prevalent. It is the "natural condition without societal structures," driven by mutual fear and self-interest.

  • State/Family/Gender/Sovereignty:

    • State: Referred to as "Commonwealths," which are essential to mitigate the inadequacies of natural law and transition from fear-based individualistic actions to combined efforts under sovereign power. Types include Democracy, Aristocracy, and Monarchy.

    • Family/Gender: These concepts are not directly addressed in the provided notes.

    • Sovereignty: Described as absolute, utilizing the strength and consent of its subjects. It is established through agreements and dictates individual responsibilities to authority.

  • Market/Money/Monopolies: These concepts are not directly addressed in the provided notes.

  • Property Rights/Liberty/Freedom:

    • Natural Rights: Defined as stemming from the necessity to ensure self-preservation. This implies a right to everything necessary for survival. In the state of nature, the claim that all men have the right to all things becomes impractical without a governing authority.

    • Liberty/Freedom: In the state of nature, there is an unrestrained right to everything. However, the formation of society involves transferring or renouncing rights for peace, implying a sacrifice of some freedoms to a governing authority for protection.

  • Self-interest: A central driver of human behavior; "relationships are driven by self-interest rather than genuine affection." Bonds are often predicated on the comparison of talents and interests, and political relationships stem from mutual fear rather than goodwill. Individuals possess an inherent right to defend their own interests.

  • Equality/Inequality/Poverty:

    • Equality: Men are fundamentally equal, but conflict arises from personal interests. The transition from natural equality creates inequalities through societal constructs.

    • Inequality: Created through societal constructs as a result of the transition from natural equality.

    • Poverty: This concept is not directly addressed in the provided notes.

  • Ideal Society/Theories of History/Theories about others/Period of History:

    • Ideal Society: Implied to be the Commonwealth, which functions to mitigate the inadequacies of natural law and provides mutual protection by transforming fear-based individual actions into combined efforts under sovereign power.

    • Theories of History/Theories about others: Not explicitly detailed in the notes, beyond the overview of Western political thought.

    • Period of History: Covered under "Period of publication/historical context."

  • Organization of writing/rhetorical strategies: The Cambridge Texts series includes complete and unabridged texts, critical introductions, chronologies, biographies, reading guides, and glossaries. Hobbes's "On the Citizen" is structured with chapters (e.g., Chapter I, II, III, V) and numbered points, indicating a systematic and logical presentation of arguments.

  • Strengths and weakness of author’s framework/arguments: The notes describe Hobbes's framework where civil society arises from mutual fear and is necessary to resolve the "state of war" inherent in human nature. The "ineffective rights" in the absence of a governing authority highlight a weakness of the individualistic state of nature, which the commonwealth (with its absolute sovereign power) is designed to overcome, ensuring peace. The strength lies in providing a foundational justification for strong governmental authority.

  • Current-day applications of author’s concepts/arguments: This concept is not directly addressed in the provided notes.

What are [author]

’s views on property and wealth acquisition ?

The provided notes do not directly address [author]’s views on explicit property rights or wealth acquisition beyond the general concept of natural rights stemming from the necessity of self-preservation. This implies an inherent right to everything necessary for survival, but the practicality of this right is stated to be ineffective without a governing authority.

How does [author] define rights, liberty, or freedom ?

[Author] defines Natural Rights as those stemming from the necessity to ensure self-preservation, implying rights to pursue ends necessitate rights to means. All men are said to possess an inherent right to defend their interests and everything necessary for survival. However, the claim that all men have the right to all things becomes impractical without a governing authority. Regarding Liberty/Freedom, in the state of nature, there is an unrestrained right to everything. The formation of society, however, involves transferring or renouncing rights for peace, which implies a sacrifice of some freedoms to a governing authority in exchange for protection.

How does [author] balance self-interest and the public/common good ?

[Author] balances self-interest and the public/common good by positing that while human behavior and relationships are primarily driven by self-interest and mutual fear, these very motivations compel individuals to seek peace. The "Law of Nature" fundamentally consists of the pursuit of peace. The "Commonwealths" are formed precisely because they are "essential to mitigate the inadequacies of natural law" and to transition from fear-based individual actions to "combined efforts under sovereign power" for "mutual protection." Individuals cede power out of self-interest (their desire for self-preservation and peace), thus establishing a sovereign authority that secures the public or common good.

What is [author]

’s conception of justice ?

&Amp;#91;Author&Amp;#93; makes a "critical distinction between justice defined by human law and natural equity." His conception suggests that justice, in the natural sense, is based on "natural equity," and "natural laws