Sunday, November 28, 2010

What was Thomas Hobbes idea for the government?

Thomas Hobbes
was an english philosopher who lived predominately in the 1600's. His idea for government was
that in order for people to be able to live together and survive, they needed to be governed by
a single sovereign ruler. This idea was put forth in his book, Leviathan,
where Hobbes states that if people are left to rule themselves, they will only focus on
self-preservation. He counters this argument by saying that while living under a sovereign ruler
the people in society will enter into a "social contract" with one another, and the
sovereign. In this social contract, all people of the society give up their "right to all
things", except for the sovereign, who is in control of all. By entering into the social
contract, the people are able to coexist with one another based on the rules, regulations, and
laws the sovereign puts forth. It is important to note that Hobbes never stated that this
sovereign should be one person. He argues that in addition to a single ruler such as a King or
Queen, small groups, such as those seen in a democracy, or the British parliament, could also
serve as the sovereign to govern a nation.

Hope this
helps!

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