2. thomas hobbes, leviathan, social, contract, theory

[smyles19moopoo]

thank you so much for uploading this video and sharing your knowledge. Some of these philosophers are not so easy to comprehend, but are interesting to regard. Thank you again ;))

[Jay21232]

Thanks

[martinspoonboy]

surely when we go from a pre moral state into society governed by the sovereign we have not truly become moral but have been forced to be moral out of fear of the sovereign ? any thoughts ?

[sdoniac]

im a first year politics student and i have to write an essay on the critics of the social contract and this was a great understanding of what it is for me

[GGillin]

thankyou so much! this is great stuff for me, a first time philosophy student. Your explanation of this material puts my teacher and her seventeen years of post-secondary education to shame!

[Lewisabet8]

sir.. i really like your discussion! but you did not finish the discussion.. huhu may you please finish it...? please

[fredbloggs02]

That couldn't have been clearer. I'm missing out on school through a disorder for which I've already fallen years behind. It's down to people like you I have the chance to learn the foundation and, when I go back, I know I'll have the gist.

[Pigroota]

Cool vid, but to me it seems you were describing contract law, not "social contract theory" as you describe it. The social contract is a tacit agreement. The phenomenon you describe is one where there is explicit understanding and intervention by the sovereign. Then again, i only know of this in terms of economics, not from a sociologist's point of view.

[tomreves28]

nice

[hamlit00]

Can somebody explain to me how even though his state is very authoritarian, Hobbes is still classed as a traditional liberal theorist?

[Pigroota]

@hamlit00 I will attempt an answer. Hobbes was concerned with the strongest of men's passions that derive from their relations with other men (although this does not reflect his method. Hobbes actually tried to determine these passions based on a society without relations (a unique approach) then overlayed society. This is critiqued by many, but the fundamentals are sound because passions come before the institutions and rules which he will discuss later). From these passions, he deduces

[Pigroota]

a political philosophy that reflects a need for a sovereign. He disagreed with the parliament of the time who stressed that power should be dispersed among the possessors of it. Rather, power should be concentrated in one body of men - the sovereign. Seemingly authoritarian, but these rules are emplaced for the preservation of men (as this guy describes - men would all kill each other otherwise). The state of anarchy augments those passions that are to the detriment of mankind. Thus he derives

[Pigroota]

his theory chiefly from one main passion that is made strongest by anarchy - Fear. The sovereign upholds those laws to which there is the largest agreement. And this is tantamount to a form of government that originated in England 17Century, one that is the envy of the subjects of a dictatorship - democracy. One of 2 main criticisms of Hobbes is that he derives an "ought" from an "is", but this is not so. He actually treats his so-called "maxims of prudence" as

[Pigroota]

imperatives, not as "oughts". Thus, to exist in a state that preserves man's liberties and maintains peace, there must be a sovereign who mitigates and holds power. His imperatives are conclusions about "what conduceth to the conservation and defense of themselves (Leviathan)." There is much more. Ask me if you want to know. But remember, this philosophy is pre-enlightenment and is more useful today for its flaws than its aptness.

[MrAnthonyVance]

Dr. Campbell, I sure love the way you CUSS in your lecture on Hobbes.

CUSS =. Clear, Understandable, Sensible, Succinct.

And your board visuals to assist learnning were superb and most creative.

Keep up the great teaching, Professor.

Applause!

[drjasonjcampbell]

@MrAnthonyVance LOL!! NICE!! That'll stick. I luv CUSSin in my videos!! haha...thanks for that...

[love83forever]

People have not transformed or grown since the beginning of time... Predators and preys.

[McTaggStar]

Thanks for this. Your videos on Hobbesian social contract theory helped me review before my ethics exam! The way you explain is good, because you break the theory down to its bare bones and uncover what is really important.

[redreaper123]

What you're doing making these videos is really brilliant. Keep up the great work and thank you!

[Mike10four]

The foundation of: Locke, Hobbes and Jefferson’s work crystallizes by using science to prove our unalienable Rights are from the Laws of Nature. It becomes clear these Rights apply to all Life, from bacteria to humans, and Social systems, including Charles Darwin’s research; as in a Grand Unification principle for all Living-systems (see my channel video). The Laws of Nature trumps mortals in power; a new understanding of these Rights may help make this world a better place to live.

[MRMarshmallowMonkey]

NICE WORK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[resofdareses]

Very nicely explained, thanks alot!

[borntobelegend]

We never left the state of nature. There's people always competing and people who are brutes that kill to survive for economic purposes or for self interest. In the Sovereign it may be less violent then a state of nature.

[leemi139]

THANK YOU!!! It helps a lot and I've got more confidence for my upcoming exam.

Love your diagrams!! :)

[theish94]

Okay I understand what your saying but how about contrasting Thomas Hobbes Social Contract with the Political Philosophy of John Locke. How are they both the sama

[stenomm]

Thanks for the vid!

Studying for my philosophy exam... :)

[SophiaNienke]

Thank you so much for uploading this. Your class is very clear to me - even though my English is very bad. Hopefully this will help me during me exam. I wouldn't mind if you'd upload some more classes about philosophy. ;)

[SophiaNienke]

Thank you so much for uploading this. Your class is very clear to me - even though my English is very bad. Hopefully this will help me during me exam. I wouldn't mind if you'd upload some more classes about philosophy. ;)

[MrDowlad]

The underworld business of drug dealing is an example of the pre-society and moral era. Where every egoist has the power in their hands and not the sovereign. However, I believe what really determines the justification of a given sovereignty is the laws they adopt .....i.e. A system which by law designed to ignore 49% of its population, can't be a healthy one!.. can it?

[6PacJoe]

Can't one use the social contract theory to argue for a government-run universal health care -- to protect people not from each other but from illnesses and ruination?

[drjasonjcampbell]

I think you could. Healthcare is a big issue now and any arguments supporting giving helathcare to those in need is a move in the right direction. Peace.

[IllicitGreen]

an excellent lecture, one note though, the sovereign is in fact capable of commanding his subjects to commit suicide in his honor. the name for this ritual is called draft warfare

[6PacJoe]

In the natural state, the egoists are also reined in by fear and scruples. Sure, I covet the other guy's pile of delicious food but I'm not going to grab for it because I may get beaten up. Also, isn't there such a thing as conscience that's innate in most humans?

[drjasonjcampbell]

...that 3rd party, the sovereign, isn't there to benefit others...the sovereign is there to specifically protect "me" from "them" There are many critiques of Hobbes' theory many valid ones but it's always good practice to be charitable to the author. I think the biggest critique, if one is trying to attack a weakness in his argument is assuming that human nature exists. That i don't believe in. egoist work together for their own self interest not the collective interest of others.

[drjasonjcampbell]

MrsDSpain: Hobbes says "So that in the nature of man, we find three principal causes of quarrel. First, competition; secondly, diffidence; thirdly, glory...Hereby it is manifest that during the time men live without a common power to keep them all in awe, they are in that condition which is called war; and such a war as is of every man against every man..." Despite the fact that it's every man for himself there is a recognition that I may not be the strongest egoist and therefore need 3rd party

[MrsDSpain]

I meant trust* each other.

[MrsDSpain]

Thank you so much for this intro. I do have a question though... how does the sovereign come to be? I understand you've done a very rough outline of this theory, but I'm finding the existence of a sovereign a bit contradictive with Hobbesian beliefs - how do egoists come to agree to relinquish power to a third party if they can't even truth each other? Their dissidence would prevent this from happening, would it not?