The all-mighty state.
"In such condition there is no place for industry, because the fruit thereof is uncertain, and consequently no culture of the earth, no navigation nor the use of commodities that may be imported by sea, no commodious building, no instruments of moving and removing such things as require much force, no knowledge of the face of the earth, no account of time, no arts, no letters, no society, and which is worst of all, continual fear and danger of violent death, and the life of man, solitary, poor, nasty, brutish, and short."
— Thomas Hobbes, Leviathan
Published in 1651, Thomas Hobbes' Leviathan or The Matter, Form and Power of a Commonwealth Ecclesiastical and Civil is (mainly) known for the above declaration that Humans Are Bastards, but was one of the first examples of social contract theory, or the relationship between a leader and his subjects through an empirical and rational lens.
The work contains examples of:
- Above Good and Evil: Thomas Hobbes rejects the notion that you can label things as good or bad, saying that the ultimate driver of things is simple appetite and desire, as well as the fear of dying, and that conflict is merely an outlet for people wanting things.
- Anarchy Is Chaos: Life without any kind of governing structure would be a war of all against all.
- Animal Motifs: Leviathan is a sea serpent that pops up frequently in mythology. Hobbes compared the power of the Leviathan to the power of the all-powerful government which Hobbes believed was the best way to lead society.
- As the Good Book Says...: Hobbes quotes the Bible to make his arguments, but his interpretations tend to be... dubious. For instance, he quotes 1 Samuel 8: 11-17, but he deliberately leaves out the next verse, which makes it clear that the passage he is quoting is a warning, not a promise.
- Black-and-White Insanity: Hobbes mocks giving various factions an automatic label of "good" or "evil", as such thinking can enable conflict since any side can declare itself as the "good guy". Notably, he dismisses the distinction between a monarchy and a tyranny, saying that "tyranny" is just a name given to a sovereign by its detractors.
- Hobbes Was Right: The Trope Namer. However, he is not arguing that humans are savage, but that human needs, desires, and our often conflicting ideas of good and evil can lead to conflict.
- Hollywood Atheist: Hobbes has been labeled by some, even in his own time, of atheism, but he really downplays this, saying that one ought to focus on what is perceivable and not just obsess over things that are abstract and incorporeal and that you should avoid listening to someone who insists they speak for God.
- Misaimed Fandom: Hobbes cited 1 Samuel 8: 11-17 while making his case for an all-mighty sovereign and interpreted it as a promise, even though the next verse, "And ye shall cry out in that day because of your king which ye shall have chosen you; and the Lord will not hear you in that day." make it very clear that Samuel was warning the people of Israel against getting a king.Concerning the right of kings, God Himself, by the mouth of Samuel, saith, "This shall be the right of the king you will have to reign over you. He shall take your sons, and set them to drive his chariots, and to be his horsemen, and to run before his chariots, and gather in his harvest; and to make his engines of war, and instruments of his chariots; and shall take your daughters to make perfumes, to be his cooks, and bakers. He shall take your fields, your vineyards, and your olive-yards, and give them to his servants. He shall take the tithe of your corn and wine, and give it to the men of his chamber, and to his other servants. He shall take your man-servants, and your maidservants, and the choice of your youth, and employ them in his business. He shall take the tithe of your flocks; and you shall be his servants." [I Samuel, 8. 11-17] This is absolute power, and summed up in the last words, you shall be his servants. Again, when the people heard what power their king was to have, yet they consented thereto, and say thus, "We will be as all other nations, and our king shall judge our causes, and go before us, to conduct our wars." [Ibid., 8. 19, 20] Here is confirmed the right that sovereigns have, both to the militia and to all judicature; in which is contained as absolute power as one man can possibly transfer to another.
- Order vs. Chaos: Hobbes saw the state of nature as chaotic and violent and that humans would argue and fight to get the things they need without a government to properly organize them.
- Quote Mine: Does this when making his case for an all-mighty sovereign by quoting 1 Samuel 8: 11-17note . He conveniently leaves out the next verse, which says: "And ye shall cry out in that day because of your king which ye shall have chosen you; and the Lord will not hear you in that day." This last verse makes it very clear that Samuel was listing what a king would do in an attempt to dissuade the Israelites from getting one.
- Totalitarian Utilitarian: Hobbes believes a tyrannical and all-powerful state would ensure that the things that drive humanity to conflict would be lessened.
