Abstract
Peace and war are perennial themes in international relations, attention paid to both victors and the vanquished. Related to this, in his great work Leviathan, Hobbes develops a theory of rights which has not garnered the attention that it warrants. One particular reason for this concerns the rights Hobbes describes for subjects being regarded as lacking credibility or strength once a sovereign is instituted, due to the absolute power of the sovereign. The rights that subjects hold are considered to be natural rights, which exist in the state of nature and only to be relinquished once the sovereign is in place. The scholarly narrative views Hobbesian subjects, as giving up all their natural rights to the sovereign. Focusing upon the union pact as well as other novel concepts, I use inductive arguments to arrive at the Hobbesian proposition that change from one civil government to another can be made through war, i.e., by passing through the state of nature in which life is nasty, brutish and short.
Keywords
References
- Bobbio, N. (1993). Thomas Hobbes and the natural law tradition. University of Chicago Press.
- Brown, C. W. (1987). Thucydides, Hobbes, and the Derivation of Anarchy. History of Political Thought, 8(1)
- D. Baumgold (Ed.), Three-Text Edition of Thomas Hobbes's Political Theory: The Elements of Law, De Cive and Leviathan (pp. 206-233). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Chapter 20 of The Elements of Law / Chapter 6 of De Cive / Chapter 18 of Leviathan. (2017). doi:10.1017/9781316651544.018
- Forsyth, M. (1979). Thomas Hobbes and the external relations of states. British Journal of International Studies, 5(3), 196-209.
- Johnson, L. M. (2020). Thucydides, Hobbes, and the Interpretation of Realism. Cornell University Press.
- Mouffe, C. (2009). Democracy in a multipolar world. Millennium, 37(3), 549-561.
- Peters, R. S. (1967). Hobbes, Thomas. The encyclopedia of philosophy.
- Sabine, G. H. (1951). A History of Political Theory (New York, 1937).
- Strauss, L. (1963). The political philosophy of Hobbes: its basis and its genesis. University of Chicago Press.
- Van Mill, D. (2014). Liberty, rationality, and agency in Hobbes's Leviathan. SUNY Press.
- Velasquez, M. (2016). Philosophy: A text with readings. Cengage Learning.
Abstract
Peace and war are perennial themes in international relations, attention paid to both victors and the vanquished. Related to this, in his great work Leviathan, Hobbes develops a theory of rights which has not garnered the attention that it warrants. One particular reason for this concerns the rights Hobbes describes for subjects being regarded as lacking credibility or strength once a sovereign is instituted, due to the absolute power of the sovereign. The rights that subjects hold are considered to be natural rights, which exist in the state of nature and only to be relinquished once the sovereign is in place. The scholarly narrative views Hobbesian subjects, as giving up all their natural rights to the sovereign. Focusing upon the union pact as well as other novel concepts, I use inductive arguments to arrive at the Hobbesian proposition that change from one civil government to another can be made through war, i.e., by passing through the state of nature in which life is nasty, brutish and short.
References
- Bobbio, N. (1993). Thomas Hobbes and the natural law tradition. University of Chicago Press.
- Brown, C. W. (1987). Thucydides, Hobbes, and the Derivation of Anarchy. History of Political Thought, 8(1)
- D. Baumgold (Ed.), Three-Text Edition of Thomas Hobbes's Political Theory: The Elements of Law, De Cive and Leviathan (pp. 206-233). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Chapter 20 of The Elements of Law / Chapter 6 of De Cive / Chapter 18 of Leviathan. (2017). doi:10.1017/9781316651544.018
- Forsyth, M. (1979). Thomas Hobbes and the external relations of states. British Journal of International Studies, 5(3), 196-209.
- Johnson, L. M. (2020). Thucydides, Hobbes, and the Interpretation of Realism. Cornell University Press.
- Mouffe, C. (2009). Democracy in a multipolar world. Millennium, 37(3), 549-561.
- Peters, R. S. (1967). Hobbes, Thomas. The encyclopedia of philosophy.
- Sabine, G. H. (1951). A History of Political Theory (New York, 1937).
- Strauss, L. (1963). The political philosophy of Hobbes: its basis and its genesis. University of Chicago Press.
- Van Mill, D. (2014). Liberty, rationality, and agency in Hobbes's Leviathan. SUNY Press.
- Velasquez, M. (2016). Philosophy: A text with readings. Cengage Learning.
Details
| Primary Language | English |
|---|---|
| Journal Section | Articles |
| Authors | |
| Publication Date | December 31, 2020 |
| Published in Issue | Year 2020 |