The Leviathan by Thomas Hobbes was the first major work of political philosophy written in the English language. The Leviathan is influenced heavily by the period in which Hobbes lived; civil war and upheaval in the political, religious and economic sectors of England shaped Hobbes’ ideas of war and the nature of man . Particularly, Hobbes’ writing on the idea of the Commonwealth stemmed from real-life events, and it is in this group of chapters that Hobbes makes some of his most convincing arguments for how society should be organized, as a Commonwealth, to prevent war. For the purpose of this essay, I will limit myself to a sole issue contained within the Second Part of the Leviathan- that being the true liberty of a subject, contained within Chapter 21. A qualification may be required, however, before continuing. While it may be pertinent to look at the Leviathan as a whole to gain a deeper understanding of Hobbes’ account, for this essay I will limit myself to the above stated topic and chapter. As with all essays of a philosophical nature, I am looking at but one small aspect that makes up a larger argument.

   To begin, a brief summarization of the most important aspects of the Second Part: Of Commonwealth, of the Leviathan.

   In the Leviathan, Hobbes explains that the only way for man to move away from continual war is for men to give up some of their natural rights to a sovereign, whether that sovereign is an individual or an assembly of men . This sovereign cannot be overthrown or cast aside by those that they are sovereign over , and is above the covenants that otherwise apply to those that they govern. Hobbes further makes a case that those who did not vote for that particular sovereign must still abide by the covenants that the sovereign puts forth, and co-exist with those men that did set aside those rights for that sovereign. In Chapter 20, Hobbes explains at the most basic level why a Commonwealth is the only system that will work to balance the liberty that laws of nature, which govern men, to prevent chaos- “there happens in no Commonwealth any great inconvenience but what proceeds from the subjects’ disobedience and breach of those covenants from which the Commonwealth has its being. ” There is further clarification of the sovereign’s duties when it is explained that all those in the Commonwealth must know the covenants to be legally bound to them, and it is the sovereign’s duty to ensure that all covenants are explained to all men .

   The sovereign does not have complete control over those in the Commonwealth, though. It is in Chapter 21: Of The Liberty Of Subjects, that Hobbes details this. Liberty, as Hobbes defines it, “signifies properly the absence of opposition .” Once this has been established, Hobbes again goes on to state that the true liberty of a subject “lies therefore only in those things which, in regulating their actions, the sovereign has permitted. Since men have given up some of their rights when instituting the sovereign in the Commonwealth, the sovereign determines what liberties subjects are allowed. Yet Hobbes goes on to clarify this position, and it again highlights his argumentative method. Starting with the largest concept of liberty and then moving in to the true liberty of subjects, Hobbes takes what is a large, and sometimes overwhelming concept, and breaks it down into smaller concepts and ideas. Here, Hobbes provides his own clarification on how deep the obligation to the sovereign should exist. If commanded to take his life by the sovereign, a man has the liberty to disobey because it goes against the idea of self-preservation . According to Hobbes, man may refuse to fight in the military of the Commonwealth if the sovereign commands him to do so. However, it is further stipulated that the man must provide a suitable replacement . Hobbes final clarification of the true liberty of subjects comes when he states “other liberties, they depend on the silence of the law. In cases where the sovereign has prescribed no rule, there the subject has the liberty to do, or forbear, according to his own discretion. ” He gives the final power to the subjects; if there is no definite law as set down by the sovereign, then the subjects revert to the natural condition of mankind.

   Many criticisms may be made about Hobbes’ arguments within the Leviathan. The main criticism against the liberty of subjects is that the clarifications made by Hobbes undermine his argument for the implementation of a sovereign. By clarifying that under certain circumstances subjects may disobey the sovereign , Hobbes’ undermines his own position that the sovereign must have complete control to prevent men from existing in a continual state of war. By stating that if there is no law set down by the sovereign, men may do what they deem necessary, critics may argue that the sovereign does not play the part that Hobbes meant him to. By allowing men to resort to their natural state, society will be pushed back closer to the state of war that Hobbes wants to move away from . However, this would not be looking at the full argument. Hobbes makes provisions for this lack of guidance by the sovereign by stating, “ [liberty is] in sometimes more, and in other times less, according as they that have the sovereignty shall think is most convenient. ” The sovereign at all times has control, and is able to keep his subjects from resorting to a state of war, because he allows certain degrees of liberty so men may continue to be themselves as nature intended at times, but live together in a state of unity and peace .

   Thomas Hobbes wrote the Leviathan during a period of political, economic and religious turmoil in England . As a result, the ideas and arguments put forward in his work reflect this conflict and his views on how society may move past them. Hobbes’ method led him to first establish the nature of man, and then move on to the establishment of the Commonwealth, and the role of the sovereign within that. Chapter 21: Of The Liberty Of Subjects details the instances where a sovereign does not have complete control of the subjects, and further exhibits Hobbes’ method of working from the largest ideas in a theory, to the smaller, adding clarifications as he goes. Critics may take issue with Hobbes’ clarification on the rule of the sovereign over the subjects, but Hobbes makes yet another clarification that it is the discretion of the sovereign, as he has power, to decide the extent of the laws that govern subjects . This is not the only issue contained within the Leviathan, but it is the argument that sets down a firm foundation for the modern-day extent that sovereigns may control their people.


Works Cited

Hobbes, "Leviathan".
http://etext.library.adelaide.edu.au/aut/hobbes_thomas.html

Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy, "Thomas Hobbes (1588-1679)".
http://www.utm.edu/research/iep/h/hobmoral.htm