An approach based on the theory of “social
contract” by Th. Hobbes and J. Locke.
by Stavroula Fountanopoulou
Thomas Hobbes
and John Locke are two English political philosophers who highly influenced the
contemporary political science. Their political thought has a lot of things in
common. But also there are a lot of things that separate them.
1. THE POLITICAL PHILOSOPHY OF HOBBES.
Thomas Hobbes lived in England
in the 17th century. His book titled Leviathan or the Matter, Form and Power of a Commonwealth Ecclesiastical and Civil (1651) is an early form of the
social contract theory. In this work, Hobbes concludes that we must surrender to
the authority of a monarch, no matter how authoritarian he could be.
1.1 THE HISTORICAL CONTEXT
Hobbes wrote his main work just after the end of the English civil war,
which took place from 1642 to 1648 between the supporters of the monarchy of
Charles A’ and the supporters of the Parliament led by Oliver Cromwell. The
philosopher supports the ideas of the monarchists, who wanted a government with
unlimited power. That’s why his work is called Leviathan, to indicate his perception of a powerful state
as a mighty monster. In the Bible, in the book of Job, Leviathan is the monster
which ruled the chaos. (Burns et al. 1973, 258).
1.2 THE SOCIAL CONTRACT THEORY
Hobbes tried to find the principles that will shape the civil society
without destroying it. Unfortunately he is very pessimist about human nature. Man
in the state of nature, which is called by Hobbes “condition of mere nature” (Hobbes 1839,
343), has unlimited freedom but he is in a state of fear and insecurity (Hobbes 1839, 110). He is motivated primarily by his
personal interest: “So that in the nature
of man, we find three principal causes of quarrel. First competition; secondly,
diffidence; thirdly, glory” (Hobbes 1839, 112). But this is in contrast with the interests of other people; thus,
conflicts are emerged, a state of war, where “every man is enemy to
every man” (Hobbes 1839, 113).
Fortunately the nature has gifted the man the desire to seek peace and
to do those things necessary to secure it. Hobbes calls this capability “Laws of Nature” (Hobbes 1839, 116). The social contract arises from the need to
put an end at this “state of war”. People mutually agree to transfer their
individual power to a person or a group of persons. Mutuality is the key term
of the social contract: “The mutual transferring of right, is that
which men call «contract»” (Hobbes 1839, 120). The government is legitimate as
long as it protects those who have consented to obey it. For this reason, has
the absolute power. Arbitrariness is not a reason for a government to be overthrown,
because the existence of people later on will be worse: “In such condition, there is no place for industry; because the fruit
thereof is uncertain: and consequently no culture of the earth; no navigation,
nor use of the commodities that may be imported by sea; no commodious building;
no instruments of moving, and removing, such things as require much force; no
knowledge of the face of the earth; no account of time; no arts; no letters; no
society; and which is worst of all, continual fear, and danger of violent
death; and the life of man, solitary, poor, nasty, brutish, and short” (Hobbes 1839, 113).
