Hobbes On Citizenship

Peking University China

Dr. Wang Li

Thomas Hobbes

1588－1679

Hobbes’ political philosophy works

● The elements of law, natural and political (1640)

● On the citizen(1642)

● Leviathan(1651)

The text structure of Leviathan from Chap.13 to 21

● The constitution of Leviathan(13-16)

13: The state of nature

14-15:Natural law

16: Author and Representation

●On sovereignty

17: The causes, generation and definition of a commonwealth

The text structure of Leviathan from Chap.13 to 21

18: The rights of sovereigns by institution

19: Traditional theory of government

20: Sovereigns by acquisition

21 :The liberty of subjects.

Citizenship

Citizenship

Protect Obedience

Hobbes on Citizenship

• Hobbes’s major points on citizenship both from the perspective of political and moral.

• Several key conceptions such as covenant, author, representation

• The symbol of Leviathan

Ⅰ Hobbes’s major points on citizenship

• Citizenship is a work of artificial

ⅰ From state of nature to civil society

ⅱ Commonwealth: protection & obedience

iii Citizenship: covenant between individual and authoring power and right to the same one person

ⅳ Artificial VS Nature

• Citizenship contains obligation and has moral foundation

ⅰ The accord and agreement between subject with sovereign.

ⅱ Citizenship: obedience & liberty

iii Political obligation and Moral obligation

• Citizenship could find its legitimacy rooted in natural right

ⅰ Justice—Will—Reason

ⅱ Natural passions & Natural reason

iii Natural Right

Ⅱ Some key conceptions

• Covenant

• Author- authority

• Representation

• Person

• Commonwealth

• Right of nature

• Compare between right of nature and commonwealth

Covenant

• DefinitionThe mutual transferring of right, is that which men call contract.Again, one of the contractors, may deliver the thing contracted for on his part, and leave the other to perform his part at some determinate time after, and in the mean time be trusted; and then the contract on his part, is called PACT, or COVENANT: or both parts may contract now, to perform hereafter: in which cases, he that is to perform in time to come ,being trusted, his performance is called keeping of promise, or faith; and the failing of performance, if it be voluntary, violation of faith. pp.118-9 EW.V.3

• What makes a covenant valid or void?If a covenant be made, wherein neither of the parties perform presently, but trust one another; in the condition of mere nature, which is a condition of war of every man against every man, upon any reasonable suspicion, it is void. But if there be a common power set over them both, with right and fore sufficient to compel performance, it is not void.

• The only compare between fear and pride.The force of words, being, too weak to hold men to the performance of their covenants; there are in man’s nature, but two imaginable helps to strengthen it. And those are either a fear of the consequence of breaking their word; or a glory, or pride in appearing not to need to break it. This latter is a generosity too rarely found to be presumed on, especially in the pursuers of wealth, command, or sensual pleasure; which are the greatest part of mankind. The passion to be reckoned upon, is fear.

Author- authority

• Of persons artificial, some have their words and actions owned by those whom they represent. And then the person is the actor; and he that owneth his words and actions, is the author: in which case the actor acteth by authority…and as the right of possession, is called dominion; so the right of doing any action, is called authority. So that by authority, is always understood a right of doing any act; and dong by authority, done by commission, or licence from him whose right it is.

Representation

• A person , is the same that an actor is, both on the stage and in common conversation; and to personate, is to act, or represent himself, or another; and he that act another, is said to bear his person, or act in his name.

Person

• A person, is he, whose words or actions are considered , either as his own, or as representing the words or actions of another man, or of any other thing, to whom they are attributed, whether truly or by fiction.

A multitude of men, are made one person, when they are by one man, or one person, represented; so that it be done with the consent of every one of that multitude in particular. For it is the unity of the representer, not the unity of the represented, that maketh the person one. And it is the representer that beareth the person, and but one person; and unity, cannot otherwise be undersottd in multitude.

Commonwealth

1)Generation of Commonwealth

2)Definition: One person, of whose acts a great multitude, by mutual covenants one with another, have made themselves every one the author, to the end he may use the strength and means of them all as he shall think expedient for their peace and common defense.

Six elements:

• Essence: one person

• Matter: a great multitude

• Form: mutual covenant +act(represent)/author

• Manner: strength and means of them all=power

• Condition: as he shall think expedient= will(shall) + reason(think)

• End: for their peace and common defence.

• A commonwealth is said to be instituted

• A commonwealth by acquisition.

• Church

3)Two parts of commonwealth

• Rights and duties of sovereign

• Duty and right of subjects

Table of the several subjects of science

Right of Nature

• The right of nature, which writers commonly call jus naturale, is the liberty each man hath to use his own power as he will himself for the preservation of his own nature; that is to say, of his own life; and consequently, of doing anything which, in his own judgment and reason, he shall conceive to be the aptest means thereunto.

Six elements

• Essence: Liberty

• Matter : each man

• Form: have the liberty to + doing anything

• Manner: use his own power + in his own judgment and reason.

• Condition: as he will himself + he shall conceive

• End: the preservation of his own nature, that is to say ,of his own life.

Right of Nature & Commonwealth

Right of Nature

• Essence: Liberty

• Matter : each man

• Form: have the liberty to + doing anything

• Manner: use his own power + in his own judgment and reason.

• Condition: as he will himself + he shall conceive

• End: the preservation of his own nature, that is to say ,of his own life.

Commonwealth

• Essence: one person

• Matter: a great multitude

• Form: mutual covenant +act(represent)/author

• Manner: strength and means of them all=power

• Condition: as he shall think expedient= will(shall) + reason(think)

• End: for their peace and common defence.

Ⅲ Leviathan as political symbol

The cover picture in Leviathan

1651 edition

Leviathan’s three appearances

⒈Preface: an artificial man

Art goes yet further, imitating that rational and most excellent work of Nature, man. For by art is created that great LEVIATHAN called a COMMONWEALTH, or STATE (in Latin, CIVITAS), which is but an artificial man, though of greater stature and strength than the natural, for whose protection and defense it was intended.

2.Chap.17: Mortal god

• This done, the multitude so united in one person is called a COMMONWEALTH; in Latin, CIVITAS. This is the generation of that great LEVIATHAN, or rather, to speak more reverently, of that mortal god to which we owe, under the immortal God, our peace and defense.

3. Chap.28 King of the proud

• Hitherto I have set forth the nature of man, whose pride and other passions have compelled him to submit himself to government; together with the great power of his governor, whom I compared to LEVIATHAN, taking that comparison out of the two last verses of the one-and-fortieth of Job; where God, having set forth the great power of Leviathan, calleth him king of the proud. "There is nothing," saith he, "on earth to be compared with him. He is made so as not to be afraid. He seeth every high thing below him; and is king of all the children of pride." But because he is mortal, and subject to decay, as all other earthly creatures are; and because there is that in heaven, though not on earth, that he should stand in fear of, and whose laws he ought to obey.

Ending point

• These are the three appearance all through the text. At the same time they are the three names Hobbes intent to entitle Leviathan. From the three names could we find out some hidden signification. If we omit something , we will see that Leviathan has three main characters, they are man/person, god and king. It seems that Hobbes try to remind us the image of Jesus Christ.