Should Hobbes Have A Legitimate Government

A legitimate government can be defined as a government that is has approval from the people, has the right to govern the people, is in control of a nation, and is recognized by the community. When a political authority fails to secure consent of the people or oversteps the boundaries of the natural law (that people naturally have freedom), it ceases to be legitimate, and therefore, there is no longer any obligation to obey the government’s commands. Therefore, in order for a government to be considered legitimate, it must not ignore freedom to the people, while it must also protect the people by providing institutions, having free and fair elections, regulating public debate, planning legislations, and providing the people with the right to

It is every man against every man. It is a constant and violent condition of competition where each individual has a right to everything regardless of the interest of others in society. In the absence of higher authority to judge and settle disputes, everyone fears and mistrusts others, therefore there can be no justice. In a society where it is everyone against everyone, sovereign is not natural, so there must be a contract between the people to choose a sovereign leader to provide indirect representation and then a contract between the

Under this social contract, the sovereign has absolute power, in which he/she acts as a judge and creates the laws which are all just. Because Hobbes advocates for Tyrannical rule, this would not be considered a legitimate government. Although the ruler is chosen by the people, the dictator or monarch, in Hobbes’ sense, runs everything else, to the point where the individuals in the social contract only have as much liberty as the regime says they do. Essentially, in this tyrannical view of government, the regime does not need to give them much liberty because Hobbes believes that the people are the ones who chose the sovereign, and therefore they are free just by choosing who will rule. Because the people are not necessarily given any other liberties other than electing the sovereign, Hobbes’ tyrannical form of government would not match a legitimate government. A ruler in his regime does not necessarily need to provide institutions that check his power, does not necessarily need to provide protection to the people, at which point, the regime could become corrupt in passing legislation that would only enhance his power, giving the people very little to prosper