DiscoverPolitical Philosophy - Video13 - The Sovereign State: Hobbes, Leviathan
13 - The Sovereign State: Hobbes, Leviathan

13 - The Sovereign State: Hobbes, Leviathan

Update: 2009-10-07
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Hobbes' most famous metaphor, that of "the state of nature," is explained. It can be understood as the condition of human life in the absence of authority or anyone to impose rules, laws, and order. The concept of the individual is also discussed on Hobbesian terms, according to which the fundamental characteristics of the human beings are the capacity to exercise will and the ability to choose. Hobbes, as a moralist, concludes that the laws of nature, or "precepts of reason," forbid us from doing anything destructive in life.
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13 - The Sovereign State: Hobbes, Leviathan

13 - The Sovereign State: Hobbes, Leviathan

Steven B. Smith