From Divine Right to Social Contract

1
From Divine Right to Social Contract

• New Testament
• Hobbes, Leviathan

2
Divine Right

• Justification of royal absolutism
• The governing authorities should be obeyed were
  instituted by God to protect the interests of
  their subjects (kings as servants and ministers
  of God)
• Render to Caeser the things that are Caesers,
  and to God the things that are Gods.
• Legal theories the king as a descendant of Adam

3
Thomas Hobbes (1588-1679)

• Time of political turmoil and violence
• Ambition to provide a scientific theory of man
  and the state
• Scientific method modeled on geometry (deduction
  from a few basic axioms) materialism/empiricism
  determinism/causality

4
Main problem

• How should the political community be organized?
• How powerful should the ruler be?
• How much of their liberty should citizens give
  away?

5
Solution

• Social contract
• Voluntary transfer of rights to a sovereign
• Individuals bound by fear self-interests
• The sovereign needs to guarantee security
• The only source of order in society force
• Limitations on the sovereigns authority?

6
Reasons in support of the proposed solution

• Anarchic state of nature a war of all against
  all complete freedom but total insecurity no
  moral rules/values
• Rights/laws of nature self-preservation, peace
  through reason
• Human nature egoistic (competition, diffidence,
  and glory), rational/passionate, basic equality
  (ability, vulnerability)
• Defense against foreigners

7
Assumptions/values

• Human nature
• Need to balance security and liberty
• Fundamental commonality of interests between the
  sovereign and the citizens

8
Implications

• Can citizens disobey?
• Support for absolutist government?
• Rejection of divine right political authority
  is derived from the citizens
• Proto-liberal theory liberty as a natural
  condition need to justify restrictions

9
Potential problems

• Abuse of power?
• Fear? Surveillance?
• Recruitment of personnel?
• How can the contract establishing the sovereign
  be binding?
• Credible view of human nature?
• S/L?