The Big Idea
This text outlines the creation of an artificial man, the Commonwealth, to solve the inherent danger of human nature. Because every person possesses the equal capacity to kill another, life without a common power is a constant war of every man against every man. To escape this misery, people must contractually surrender their individual natural liberty to a sovereign power. This authority, whether an individual monarch or an assembly, holds the exclusive right to define law, justice, and property. The sovereign is responsible for the protection of the people, and as long as that protection is maintained, subjects owe total obedience to the established power to prevent the return of civil disaster.
Who's named
- Thomas Hobbes
Author arguing for the necessity of a central sovereign power.
- Adam
Biblical figure illustrating the condition of eternal life and divine law.
What it's really about
- Sovereignty
- The essential, indivisible authority required to maintain peace.
- Natural Equality
- The specific vulnerability that makes mutual destruction possible.
Why it's memorable
- The weakest man possesses enough strength to kill the strongest.
- The sovereign is the only entity with the power of life and death.
What it concludes
The mutual relation between protection and obedience requires an inviolable observation to maintain a peaceful state.
For your book club
- Is it ever valid to obey God over the sovereign?
- Can a commonwealth exist if the sovereign surrenders their essential rights?