Book Summary
“Leviathan” is an illustration of how society and the individual were viewed from the prism of collective power and community versus nature and individualism. Thomas Hobbes discussed the differences between a natural life and one in society, the benefits of unity, and the characteristics that allow people to form such power dynamics. Furthermore, the philosopher reflects on escapism from the natural laws through the commonwealth.
Of The Natural Condition of Mankind, as Concerning Their Felicity and Misery
In Chapter 13, the primary idea is collective power and sovereignty. The argument states that, when creating a community, people are more likely to deny themselves of cruelty, acquire resources, live a relatively safe life, and have a purpose that exceeds the limits of their family (Hobbes, 1651). Currently, such an idea needs to be updated as people have lived as individualism is recognized as the characteristic that makes a person unique and different. Hobbes highlights that differences between people are redundant as collectively, the contrasts are minimal. Additionally, it is stated that sovereign power is, indeed, the power of the collective. The ideas generate several questions that illustrate its inconsistencies and outdated nature.
Objections to the Arguments
Regarding the first argument, is a priest who experiences favoritism from the state and impacts how common people think and perceive the world similar in power to an enslaved person? The differences in people can be strikingly different, and one’s opinion and influence on others can significantly differ from another person. Hence, a society in which all people are equal is not necessarily realistic.
Secondly, if sovereign power implies the dismissal of certain liberties in exchange for acquiring a stable society, which liberties exactly can be negotiated? An autocratic sovereign power will not necessarily consider the opinion of the people being ruled over. The idea that a monarch takes the role of a collective speaker in the name of a community or region does not correlate with truth. Instead, considering that a monarch is an individual who, compared to its subjects and citizens, does not live in a society. By being limited by interruptions by common people, having a life of comfort and luxury, and having power over all subjects, one does not consider oneself a part of a community. As a result, rulers become totalitarian, implement rules that do not benefit the interests of the state, and create dangerous and cruel environments.
Of the Causes, Generation, and Definition of a Common-Wealth
In chapter 17, the author highlights that humans cannot live in harmony with each other, similar to how other animals do. As a result, people resort to covenants, hence, agreements in front of the state (Hobbes, 1651). From this perspective, however, the argument begs the question: Is it a covenant or legislation that prevents people from facilitating a dangerous environment?
On the one hand, it is certain that people benefit from living in society rather than in nature; hence, they select security over liberty. However, each community has individuals who disregard its rules. As a result, the disruptor is isolated through society or punished. Hence, people can coexist based on the covenant only because the covenant implies a set of legal considerations for punishments for dismissing regulations.
The concepts highlighted by the author are how communities are built currently. Individuals have collective power through voting, protesting, and working on a common goal. Nonetheless, individualism is more protected as the difference in subjects generates all the necessary human resources for a modern society to survive and remain competitive in the international market. People enter into covenants with the authorities in the regions where they live by agreeing to comply with them and follow the guidelines that protect safety and order. The practice has changed from the time when the philosopher described the law of society, yet the basis has remained the same.
Reference
Hobbes, T. (1651). Leviathan, or, The matter, forme, and power of a common wealth, ecclesiasticall and civil. Printed for Andrew Crooke.
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