The purpose of this essay is to determine what
Hobbes considers to be the
greatest human power, how he arrives at this
conclusion, and how this may be
challenged through a different definition of man, or of man’s
natural state. Hobbes writes in chapter ten of
Leviathan:
The greatest of humane Powers, is that which is compounded of the Powers of most men,
united by consent, in one person, Naturall, or Civill, that has the use of all their Powers depending on his
will; such is the Power of a Common-wealth: Or the Power of a Faction, or of divers factions leagued. (Hobbes, Ch. 10, P. 150*)
To begin to examine this claim we must first consider the definition of
Power that Hobbes offers. Hobbes defines the “Power of a Man” as being his ability in a given moment “to obtain some
future apparent Good”. These abilities might be
natural endowments, such as
strength or
intelligence, or they might be “instrumentall” powers that once acquired increase through their use. These powers include things such as
wealth,
friends,
reputation, and
luck. (Hobbes, Ch. 10, P. 150)
Hobbes defines “Good” as a
subjective term that is relative only to the person who uses it. What men
desire they call good, and what they
hate is called
evil. (Hobbes, Ch. 6, P. 120) Thus men will always do what they believe is good, but will only be advancing their own interests in doing so. What is good for one man may be evil for another.
Hobbes bases his argument on the natural state of men. He sees men as
self-interested. Men seek to fulfill their
appetites and desires, while seeking to avoid their
aversions. To do this they need power. This leads to
competition among men. In chapter eleven Hobbes states the following:
So that in the first place, I put for a generall inclination of all mankind, a perpetuall and restlesse desire of Power after power, that ceaseth onely in
Death. (Hobbes, Ch. 11, P 161)
In this competition men are essentially
equal, for although some may have abilities that others do not, “the weakest has strength enough to kill the strongest, either by secret machination, or by confederacy with others, that are in the same danger with himselfe.” (Hobbes, Ch. 13, P.183).
This being the case, it would seem that the greatest possible power is when men join together and place their power in the hands of
one person, so instead of having these powers competing, they are combined and can act as one. There combined powers acting together can be used to gain even more power. In this way their power is not
diluted by competition with one and other.
If Hobbes is wrong in his assertion that man is naturally competitive, then do men need they combine their power in such a way? I would say no, for if men are capable of cooperating without an
absolute sovereign, they may choose to combine their powers, but not necessarily under a
solitary will.
There is some evidence to suggest that men can work cooperatively. After all, there are many situations in which people may
sacrifice their own well being for the sake of
a greater good. A man might choose to give up some personal
luxuries so that his family will be better off, or might risk his own life to save another. Hobbes would likely answer that he does these things to gain
reputation, and thus power, but I would dispute this by suggesting that when one loses one’s life, power can be but a small concern since it can no longer be of any use in this world.
If men are essentially equal, a single leader is not necessary, and may indeed be
superfluous. Why entrust all important decisions to one person, who is as
fallible as any other, if there is no need to do so? It would make a great deal more sense to combine their various talents and intellectual strengths to make decisions.
If men be as Hobbes suggests they are, that is, naturally competitive and given to conflict, then an
absolute sovereign may be the only way to achieve
peace within a nation. If men are not as he says they are, then his argument fails.
NB: I use the words men and man here not as generics for all of humanity, but to indicate male persons, as I believe Hobbes intended. He did not consider
women, or how cool it would be if women were in charge!