Thomas Hobbes Leviathan

Throughout Thomas Hobbe’s work, Leviathan, he discusses causes and resolutions of human conflict and the ways in which he believes a society should be controlled and operated. Hobbe’s wrote Leviathan in the year 1651, after the English Civil War. This historical event led Hobbes to argue that in order for a society to function to the best of its ability and to avoid further conflict, a central authority must be in control.
Hobbes begins by describing what a place is like without a central government. All men, he says, are essentially created equal by nature and differences in how strong or weak a person is, should not even be considered. Even if one man is stronger than another, the weaker man has enough strength to kill the stronger man through the power of his mind and the help of others. He argues that in the mind, men are more equal than they are unequal, further proving his point that strong versus weak doesn’t matter. The issue with men all being seen as

equal is that men become jealous. If two men have the same want and desire for the same thing, and they cannot both attain it, they will become enemies and as a result, will end up destroying one another. This is clearly a problem seeing as everyone would destroy everyone until there is no more life.
Hobbe’s discusses the three major causes of disagreement between men that occur due to a lack of central authority.

The first cause is competition. Men use competition as a way to gain someone or something. They use violence to achieve this gain and to make themselves in charge of other men’s wives and families. The second cause is diffidence. Diffidence is doing something in “modesty or shyness resulting from a lack of self-confidence.” (dictionary.com). Men use this for safety and a way to defend themselves and their families. Lastly, the third cause of disagreement between men is glory. Men use glory as a way to make a reputation for themselves. Because of all these causes of disagreement, Hobbe’s argues that when men live without a common power, such a government and main authority figure, they are in a condition called “Warre”. “Warre” is a condition where every man is against every other man. Clearly this is a problem when all men are seen as equal and in constant disagreements with one

another.
Hobbe’s says that the only way to reach a common power, which would keep men safe and defend them from invasions of other countries and armies, and to exit this “warre” is by electing one man, one authority figure to govern the people. This man must be someone that people look up to and respect so that there will be less disagreements and quarrels. Men must give up their free will and individual rights and say to all other men, “I authorize and give up my right of governing my self, to this man, or to this assembly of men, on this condition. That thou give up they right to him, and authorize all his actions in like manner.” (22). In doing this, men will recognize that there is now someone bigger than themselves and as person to go to if there are disagreements.
This document is significance because Thomas Hobbe’s, for one of the first times, disregarded religion when talking of government. As he was product of the scientific revolution where there were new views on nature and society based on science and math, he realized that there is more to governing a society than religion. As previously mentioned, Hobbe’s wrote Leviathan during the English Civil War. He illustrates the need of a strong central government or authority, so that future civil wars would be avoided and people will live in a more fair and just world.