Leviathan Chapters 10-15 PDF

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Chap 10-15...

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Leviathan: Thomas Hobbes ● Language is a double edged sword-- courageous vs. cowardice. ○ Certain types of forms are intrinsically problematic. It’s not that we’re just representing the world, interwoven in the description is who we are-- what we value. ○ Theory stands in contrast to Plato-■ We begin with our senses; don’t move away from them, but define things properly. Assign names to the things we don’t always ask ourselves about critically. ■ Logically and complex holes → smaller parts ■ ■

Geometric reasoning How he argues is different. Takes any body and break it up into its parts ● Plato uses analogies, images, etc. ● Hobbes defines things and then combine differences → increasingly complex human behavior and increasingly complex definitions.

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○ Details and precision in language ● Narration, not a disputation-- “be quiet, I’m talking.” ○ Doesn’t work well with other intellectuals of his time ○ Pedantic for a reason, not only a function of his character. ■ Part of political process-- trying to remake our political language. ● The way we use language politically is fundamentally flawed and fundamentally dangerous. When we act voluntarily, the origin is in a thought/idea ○ Process where you decide what to do ○ Internal process of weighing things +/■ Doing this all the time unless we are daydreaming ○ Begin with sense → thought → imagination → voluntary action → language → understanding ■ ■

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Desires vary from person to person As long as we are alive, we will have desires: ● Desires come from our experiences of the world and the thoughts ● We are always in motion so we always have desires ○ To live is to desire, to live is to be in motion ■ I like tomatoes ● I is the subject ● Doesn’t matter what the sentence means, the most important part is the subject Happiness is continual success in getting what you want-- continual prospering ■ Not contentment (no such thing for Hobbes) ● To be content is to be satisfied in how things are. You’re “fine” ○ You probably don’t want anything-- satisfied with what you have ● For Hobbes, we will never have enough/be content because we always

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have desires. ○ We can imagine it, but it is not real. We always want things, it is human nature If this is happiness: ● Being alive means you always want power. pg. 58 ○ Even if you can understand contentment, you need to have power to stay content. ● Why? ○ Power…

Chapter 10: Power ● Power: the means at hand to obtain some future apparent good (pg. 50) ○ What is the future apparent good? ■ Depends on the person-- we all want different things. But no matter what we want, even if it’s nothing, we need power to get what we want. ○ Two types of power: ■ 1. Original powers: enate powers-- strength, good looks, height ■ 2. Instrumental powers: wit, persuasion, money, threat of force, knowledge, reputation ○ Something acquired, but we all want it. When we honor people for power, we esteem people because they have power or we think they have power. ■ pg. 54: It’s irrelevant to power if what you do is an unjust or just action. ● Honor exists only in the opinion of power ○ Ancient Greeks thought they were honoring the Gods when they told stories of the Gods raping humans and doing unjust actions. ■ Gods can do these things because they are powerful, that’s why we honor them… Not because they’re good. ○ To be human is to be driven by desire. ■ Desires powerfully shape our thoughts ■ Origin of voluntary motion Chapter 13: The Natural Condition of Mankind ● Conclusion (pg. 76): Men are constantly at war-- every man against man. ○ If you understand human nature properly, what humans would be in their natural state would be war. ● Equality and war: ○ We are all physically equal (Hobbes is egalitarian) ● Plato disagrees ■ Ultimate test of equality: anyone can kill anyone. physical ● Even the weakest can kill the strongest-- strategy, confederacy ■ Faculties of the mind-- prudence = experience. mental ● Someone who is older has more, but only because they have had a broader range of experience. ○ We all think we’re smarter than we are-- that’s why we don’t want to agree with Hobbes that we’re all equal in body and mind.

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We see ourselves up close and others from a distance-we’re satisfied with our share. ■ Equal ability and equal hope: We’re naturally anti-social ● We want people to value ourselves ○ To be laughed at is embarrassing, this says something ○ Human beings are prickly, always ready to fight ○ Sewn into human nature-- 3 reasons of quarrel: ■ 1. Competition: For gain ■ 2. Diffidence: For safety ● Defense ■ 3. Glory: Reputation ● Trifles ○ Natural condition of mankind: war-- direct function of how humans are. This is what human nature brings us ■ Do you lock your doors at night? ● Yes because we do not trust others ● We are not living in the natural state of nature ○ Functioning state--public law enforcement ■ But we still lock our doors... ○ Take away a functioning state and what do we do? ■ Hobbes challenges us to this ■ Look at international relations-- the state between states is at war. ● America is constantly at war with all countries of the world at all times ○ There is no world government ■ Treaties, UN-- all based on voluntary agreements ■ No leviathan all states ○ States arm their frontiers, exist in a state of war against each other ● This is how we know Hobbes is right-- embedded in our practices ■ Is he saying that humans are evil? No… ● This is just how humans are. ● Consequence: life in a state of nature would be solitary, short, etc. ● There is a way out… the laws of nature ○ Fear of death, desire necessities, and the hope to attain them. ○ There are examples in real life where humans do trust ourselves ■ Does this contradict Hobbes’ argument? ● Self interest: would you engage in these behaviors if there were no laws in place ○ Ex. Driving would be very dangerous ● The trust we have is an artifact of agreement Chapter 14 & 15: Laws of Nature ● Natural Right: Use our power to do whatever we have to do to keep ourselves alive ● Natural Liberty: Freedom to do what we want ● Natural Law: Get us out of the original state of nature

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1. Seek peace 2. Reciprocity-- retain to yourself only what you would allow other to obtain ■ Now we have obligations to one another ■ When you consent to anything, it is voluntary. In our rational self-interest ● When we leave the state of nature and enter political association, we have the right to self-defense ■ Way to secure compliance: fear. “Golden Rule:” Do not do to another what you would not do to yourself ○ Makes statement negative: ■ Suggestion → law.

● Imperative. Much easier to change what someone shouldn’t do ■ We don’t know what others want, but we do know what they don’t want ● Ex. we don’t want to die, we don’t want someone to come punch us in the face ■ Hobbes subjectivism-- quality is in the subject, not the object. ● Can we even figure out the negative? How do we know someone doesn’t want to be punched in the face… ○ Civil war: Fear is what breaks states down ● Laws of nature bind to a desire that should take place-- putting them in act, but not always. ○ Even if it’s always reasonable to want to obey the laws of nature, you’re only obliged to obey them when everybody else is going to do so ● Science of these laws: true and only moral philosophy ○ Private appetite: pure measure of good and evil ○ All of us want different things, but everybody wants peace ■ Nobody wants to die a painful death ○ Humans by nature and uniquely prone to quarrel Probability question? Question of love? Is this a good explanation of trust?...