Ho
es.pdf
”The Leviathan”
”The Leviathan”
By: Thomas Ho
es
Keep in mind for each author!
WHO was your author and when/where was he writing?
Who is MAN to each author?
What was NATURE to each author?
What is the PROBLEM?
What is the author’s SOLUTION? Who holds power?
Who was Ho
es, when and under what circumstances was he writing?
White, wealthy English dude (lived to 99 years old !)
Philosopher, scientist and historian
From modestly wealthy family; highly educated and intelligent
Writing in 1651 during English civil war – WHY DOES THIS MATTER?
Recu
ing themes with Ho
es:
Power = AWE
Nature
Man = SELFISH
Conflict = WAR
THE SWORD
Who is ”Man” to Ho
es?
“Strong in body” to physically force/overtake anothe
“Strong in mind” to “conspire” to take down the physically powerful.
Man is naturally “selfish”
“If two men desire the same thing that which they both cannot enjoy, they will become enemies of each other and destroy one another..they will be in a state of constant war”
What is NATURE to Ho
es?
A “hypothetical” place of neutrality – free of government.
Where “man has a right to all things”
Until someone bigger than him stops him!
Because of this “freedom”, there are THREE sources of conflict:
Diffidence (personal safety)
Competition
Glory
What is the PROBLEM to Ho
es?
Because Man is selfish:
In “nature”, where all are “equal”, there is no obligation outside one’s self!
“Life is short, nasty,
utish, evil and violent.”
“Without awe over them, men are constantly in a state of war.”
Man has the ability to choose peace over war (order over chaos)!
What is the SOLUTION to Ho
es?
“The passion that inclines man to peace is fear of death”
2 part solution:
Man can use his reason/logic to AGREE to give up liberty in favor of collective security = THE COVENANT
The Covenant needs to be ENFORCED!
”A covenant without the SWORD is merely words!”
Man must be “tied by fear of punishment to the performance of the COVENANT.”
Who holds POWER?
Man transfers his liberty to THE ABSOLUTE sovereign (king) who rules with THE SWORD (AWE).
Peaceful man, under the control ABSOLUTE = the COMMONWEALTH
The result = THE COMMONWEALTH
a large, teeming BODY of selfish people agree to be ruled by a sovereign for their own good!!!
Please start this week's exploration by going through this na
ated PowerPoint with some background on Ho
es and "Leviathan". To hear the na
ation, it is best to download it and have the presentation in Slideshow mode; in the options tab make sure "Slide Show volume" isn't muted. Alternatively, you can simply click on each separate slide and hover your cursor over the speaker icon in the lower right corner of each slide and hit play.
Thomas Ho
es Leviathan PPT-1.pptx Download Thomas Ho
es Leviathan PPT-1.pptx
After you have made your way through the PowerPoint, please take a good amount of time to read and digest the essay. Its language is dense and can be confusing. But, if you are looking for the points outlined above, you should be able to make you way through it with not too much trouble. This essay is taken from the book: Cohen and Fermon (EDITORS), Princeton Readings on Political Thought, Princeton Univ. Press, 1996.
Ho
es (1).pdf Download Ho
es (1).pdf
Finally, once you have finished the essay, please give some thought and respond to the following in a 2-3 page essay:
1. Given your understanding of social contract theory, where do you think Mr. Ho
es stands with regard to it?
2. What is Ho
es's impression of man? Give at least one quote that serves as an example of his impression(s).
3. What is nature to Ho
es' and what is the dynamic or relationship of man to nature, according to Ho
es?
4. What is the problem of man in nature? According to Ho
es, why does man need to leave this hypothetical state of nature?
5. And, what is Ho
es's solution to this problem? Please give at least one quote from the reading as an example.
6. Finally, please identify where in American society, political culture and or government today that you see each Ho
es's vision of man, nature and society and WHY you believe that is so.