works of Hobbes the "leviathan"

1. LEVIATHAN by; Hobbes

2. Overview
What is Social Contract Theory?
Who was Thomas Hobbes?
What was Hobbes’ view of man and the state
of nature?
What is this thing Hobbes calls Leviathan?

3. The Social Contract
Political theory concerning political authority
and legitimacy
Speaks of the basis for and scope of
political power
Key Elements: the state of nature (and
thereby, the nature of man)

4. Thomas Hobbes
Born in 1588, Died in 1679
Oxford-educated Englishman and political
philosopher
One of the first social contract theorists
Famous work: Leviathan

5. The State of Nature
“Homo lupus hominis”
The state of nature is a state of war: the war
of every man against every man
Hence, life is “solitary (alone,lonly), poor, nasty,
brutish and short.”

6. Human Nature
Man possesses natural desires and
aversions.(strongdislike)
Man lives to satisfy his desires, which are
insatiable
In particular, men desire power
Desire for power is the principal cause of
difference among men

7. The Laws of Nature
Man is naturally averse to destroying
his life
Man will be willing to lay down his right
to all things if others do the same
Men perform the covenants they make
with their fellows

8. Leviathan
 Book of Job 40:7 Book of Job 40:7

9. Leviathan
Embodiment of the greatest political
power
Arises when:
Individuals voluntarily renounce their right
to all things
Individuals bestow power upon an
individual/group of individuals to exercise
authority over them

10. Leviathan (cont’d)
Leviathan (the commonwealth)
possesses sovereign authority
The sovereign is the author of all law
and the basis of all justice
Subjects are bound to abide by the law
absolutely

11. Leviathan (cont’d+)
Subjects only possess liberty under the
law
That subjects possess liberties does not
diminish sovereign power
Under the law, everything is legal unless
otherwise proscribed

12. Lessons
Governments arise voluntarily among
men.
They represent vicarious(has done) consent
from the people.
Governments are necessary to enforce
order among men.
Hence they must possess power in order
to keep such order.

13. Beyond Freedom and Dignity

14. Beyond Freedom and Dignity
In Beyond Freedom and Dignity,
• behavioral psychologist B. F. Skinner summarized his
ideas about the nature of science, the techniques for
controlling human behavior, and the possibility of building a
happier and more stable society.
• Convinced that all human behavior is determined by
environment and biology, he denied the existence of free
will (or freedom) and moral autonomy (or dignity).
• Indeed, he held that illusions about their existence are
harmful, because they militate against the establishment of
an effective technology to eliminate harmful forms of
behavior.

15. Beyond Freedom and Dignity
• Skinner confidently proclaimed that, because of
modern science, engineering a better society is
entirely possible and that, once established, such
a society would produce people who voluntarily
pursue policies that promote survival.
• In particular, citizens would embrace limitations
on population growth and restrictions on practices
that damage the environment.

16. Beyond Freedom and
Dignity
• With confidence in the engineering skills of those who
would design and control the community, he was happy to
give these benevolent engineers the power to change “the
conditions under which men live and, hence, [to engage] in
the control of human behavior.”
• The key term for Skinner was “operant,” by which he
referred to any nonreflexive behavior that reacts to the
environment and produces reinforcing effects. Although
every operant exists naturally, it tends to.

17. End
People in Behaviorism and works
• Ivan Pavlov- classical conditioning.
• B.F. Skinner- Operant Conditioning
• John B. Watson- classical conditioning
• Realism and materialism
• Behaviorism as phil. Of educ.
• Methods and curriculum
• Role of teacher
• The leviathan
• Beyond freedom and dignity