Thomas Hobbes and Contractarianism

While most of my contemporaries are quite familiar with the works of Thomas Hobbes, I’ve noticed a general lack of appreciation for his works amongst the general public. True, it is understandable that most individuals not involved with the study of philosophy would encounter any need for his works, but nonetheless the importance cannot be underestimated in his views and observations of society. This article seeks to offer a brief explanation of his views, for those unfamiliary with contractarian thought and materialist political philosophy.

Hobbes argued the case for a powerful state from a radically different premise that his predecessors. Hobbes said that in the original state of nature human beings are selifsh; however, ration as well – living in a material cause-effect world. Each human being struggles to survive and to maximize his or her own pleasure and gain. Individuals are roughly equal in strength and cunning, so their selfish actions result in a war of all against all. But because they are also rational animals, people see the advantage of etering into an agreement, or social contract, with others to establish a power that will regulatie their behavior in the interest of long-range felicity and survival. Unless human beings contract with one another, life is destined to be “solitary, poor, nasty, brutish, and short.”

For Hobbes, the contract once made cannot be revoked. The protection human beings seek by agreeing to submit to authority is ensured only if that authority becomes permanent. Power once granted becomes irrevocable. Those to whom power is given have the right to back up their claim with physical force. This brings the state into being, and the original contract remains legitimate as long as the state shows itself capable of exercising power – even to the extent of compelling its citizens to do many things they might dislike under the threat of consequences they would dislike even more.

In Hobbes’s view, every citizen owes total allegiance to the government – -whatever type it is, as long as that government is able to rule. Human beings contract for society, but society then becomes superior to its members and necessarily imposes restrictions on the behavior of individuals. Resistance to authority is never justified. Justification can come only from authority – and it would be logically contradictory for authority to destroy itself.

Hobbes conteds that in the state of nature human beings are free and roughly equal, but they are also terribly vulnerable. They need – and rationally decide to accept – a power that will provide order and security. Power is thus highly concetrated (as long as the leaders can hold it, by whatever means), and individual rights or liberties are enjoyed only at the sufferance of the state. The necessity of the social contract is that which ensures the survival of man, by giving authority (sovereignty) to an organ of government that has the justification to act in ways in which the contract is kept in tact.