According to Hobbes, the reason that man forms a society is “fear of violent death and desirous peace” (Hobbes, p. 78). He claims that the self-preservation of an individual is the primary factor that motivates the formation of society and induces the transfer of some of the liberties to a common power. Hobbes’ conception is vital for understanding how people that are in the state of insurgency and counterinsurgency struggle behave.
According to Hobbes the individuals who have surrendered some of their liberties to a common power, obtain a social contract that gives a promise of protecting those individuals from different threats, for example, oppression, injury, death. Not having to be on the lookout for threats all the time, the individuals can pursue various private interests that lead to happiness, and maybe society. However, Hobbes does not give an explanation of why the subsequent generations accept the social contract.
When new generations merge into the new society, they all do not make any decisions of renewing the covenant. Those individuals may even take security for granted if they have never witnessed political anarchy. As each person advances towards adulthood, his behavior originates from social norms, rather than from rational choices. Under a common power, security is nonexclusive therefore everyone benefits and enjoys the good collectively. If some kind of rebel activity begins, the individual takes no action, as he got so used to the common power’s order that he expects the government to resolve the matter.
When Hobbes talks about acceptance, he implies to the population’s majority. He alludes that the general tendency of the citizens is accepting liberty restrictions in trade for benefits of the covenant, however, there are certain ones who disagree to accept the common power, and these individuals are the greatest threat to society. The resisting sector of the society is never satisfied under a common power if they are not in charge of it. They are in constant pursuit of power as it is a major aspect of their human nature. However such pursuit of power involves great risks for the aggressor therefore it seems irrational from the point of view of the self-preservation premise.
Self-preservation is the main principle of rational and self-interested individuals, that is why those individuals would not have any interest in being that resisting fraction of the society, and therefore they sacrifice some of their freedoms to the common power. Hobbes also identifies the group of people that are disposed to gain power through insurgency: “Needy men, and hardy, not contented with their present condition, as also all men that are ambitious of military command, are inclined to continue the causes of war, and to stir up trouble and sedition; for there is no honor military but by war, nor any such hope to mend an ill game as by causing a new shuffle.” (Owen)
This category is more likely to obtain their influence and power through an armed assault of the government, rather than through a balanced political campaign. Hobbes claims that the nature of all men is equal, and the intellectual advantages of people are illusions when experience is the most vital element, acquired over time. War arises whenever men want to have the same object and are unable to share it. According to Hobbes’s beliefs, the state of nature is the state of war, as there is not such common power that would control man’s tendency for conflicts. An interesting point is that war is not defined by actual battles and fighting. It is rather an insecure environment, where everyone is everyone’s enemy.
Therefore rational and self-interested persons transfer some of their freedoms to a common power because otherwise, they would live in a state where everyone is at war with everyone. Such a state would be characterized by poor living conditions, where ordinary principles of justice and morality would be inapplicable. Therefore rational individuals make up the largest fraction of the population and choose to live in peace, where the conditions are more favorable and secure.
Works Cited
J. Judd Owen, “The Tolerant Leviathan: Hobbes and the Paradox of Liberalism,” Polity 37.1 (2005)
Thomas, Hobbes Leviathan. Indianapolis: Hackett, 1994.
Warrender, Howard. The Political Philosophy of Hobbes, His Theory of Obligation. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1957.