Leviathan By Hobbes Essay, Research Paper

Thomas Hobbes in his book Leviathan, during the course of his argument about the

social contract we make to surrender our rights of nature a sovereign in

exchange for order and peace touches the subject of liberty. Hobbes defines

liberty as ?the absence of opposition( by opposition, I mean external

impediments of motion).? (Ch 21, p.136). In his argument, Hobbes claims that

this state of liberty is man?s natural state in which man fully exercises his

rights of nature. Hobbes claims that this state of nature leads to warfare and a

short life of strife due to everyone exercising or violating these rights. The

answer then to Hobbes is for every one to forfeit these rights of nature and

create the social contract and surrender to a sovereign in exchange for order.

Though how much liberty is left to the subject once entering the social

contract? Hobbes states ?The liberty of a subject lieth, therefore, only in

those things which, in regulating their actions, the sovereign hath

praetermitted (such as is the liberty to buy, and sell, and and otherwise

contract with one another; to choose their own abode, their own diet, their own

trade of life, and institute their children as the themselves think fit; and the

like).? (Ch21, p. 138). In other words the only liberty of subjects is that

which is not regulated by any law created by the sovereign to whom all natural

rights and liberty are surrendered to by agreeing to the social contract.

According to the quote subjects are only free to conduct personal business as

see fit, such as eating, sleeping, day to day business dealing, how one chooses

to upbringing their children. It implies that upon entering the social contract

the subject?s liberty or unrestricted movement is now forfeited except in any

area that the sovereign has not decided to regulate by passing laws regulate or

is impossible to. Hobbes overall argument asserts that in order to escape the

war filled state of nature we must surrender our natural rights(liberty/absence

of restriction) and liberty and pledge our obedience to the sovereign in

exchange for the creation of a peaceful orderly society. Thus we agree to the

social contract where the sovereign(who is outside the contract) is supreme.

While we give up our liberty in exchange for order, the Sovereign retains all

his rights to nature and is accountable only to God. Why does the sovereign

retain his liberty, while we only retain that which the sovereign has decided

not to regulate? because the sovereign uses his liberty to act on our behalf. We

in theory are the author of every action decided by the sovereign who in theory

acts only in our interest because it would benefit the sovereign to do so.