Thomas Hobbes - Social Contract Theory

Social Contract Theory

  • Ancient Views: Justice arises from mutual agreements to avoid injustices (Glaucon's perspective).

    • Accepting a set of shared rules of conduct allows us to avoid the evils of injustice.

    • Motivation to follow a social contract theory comes from being better with one than without.

Thomas Hobbes

  • Lifespan: 1588-1679; British philosopher.

  • Major Work: "Leviathan" (1651).

  • Beliefs: Psychological egoism; consequentialism.

Psychological Egoism

  • Definition: Human actions are motivated by self-interest. —> obtain satisfaction and avoid pain ==> this is descriptive → aim at one’s own welfare

  • Distinction: Differs from ethical egoism (normative claim about moral actions). —> view that moral actions are purely self-interested

  • Implication: Can align with others' interests if beneficial to oneself.

State of Nature

  • Essence: Humans are equal, egoistic, competitive for resources.

    • Condition: Without governance, it leads to a constant state of war. → humans are naturally egoistic and in competition for resources → humans are prideful, sensitive to insult, and possess limited benevolence

  • Consequences: Without regulation or control of competition, humans will live in a constant state of war

    • No morality, industry, or society; feared violent death.

Rights in the State of Nature

  • Right of Nature: Individuals can act to preserve life.

  • Law of Nature: Practical reason dictates acceptance of preservation measures.

Fundamental Rules of Reason

  1. 1st Law: Seek peace; pursue it until hope is lost.

  2. 2nd Law: Treat others as reciprocated; implies mutual agreement.

Leviathan

  • Need for Sovereign: Necessary for enforcing contracts and ensuring safety against a return to the state of nature. (otherwise people can just

  • Power: Sovereign must hold absolute power (undivided and unlimited power) for effective governance but also must promise citizens defense and personal security

    • 1 Government is better than a civil war

    • 2 Absolute governments are prone to dissolution into civil war

    • C: Rational agents ought to submit themselves to an absolute political authority.

Hobbesian Social Contract Theory

  • Moral Actions: Rightness or wrongness based on the sovereign's moral code.

Concerns and Discussions

  • Implicit Agreement: Social contract is binding by birth into society. → binds people to a promise (social contract) that everyone agrees to → but people don’t directly make the promise → they make the promise implicitly by living and being born into a society

  • Criticisms: Validity of Hobbes' state of nature; absolute authority; right to revolt; psychological egoism arguments; moral conflicts and altruism.