In this article you will learn about the Social Contract Theory of Hobbes in Political Science.
Social Contract Theory of Hobbes
Hobbes has been one of the most profound political thinkers of the modern era. He was an Englishman, a tutor to King Charles II and a firm believer in the concept of absolute sovereignty of the State. Hobbes expounded his social contract theory of the origin of state in his work “The Leviathan” published in 1651. He used this for arriving at the concept of absolute sovereignty of the ruler, through it, he supported the position of the king in the struggle for supremacy between the British King and the British Parliament.
Hobbes conception of Human Nature
Hobbes’ social contract theory lies upon his conception of human nature. He did not believe that man was a social animal, instead he believed that man was selfish. According to him, fear and selfishness were the two basic faculties of human nature. Fear made man selfish and selfishness increased man’s fear. He always felt insecure that others were out to kill him and therefore he must also be prepared to kill others. He could do anything he wanted provided he had the power to do so. He regarded his desires as good and what he hated as evil. He considered himself his own judge of good and bad. Overall he could do anything for his needs and his happiness.
Hobbes’ view of State of Nature
Hobbes believed that originally men used to live in a state of nature in which there was no society nor a government. There, each man lived as an individual and he was sovereign over himself and his will. The state of nature was a state of perpetual war because each man thought only about himself which often led to war, violence, insecurity, chaos, anarchy, selfishness and fear. Life was solitary, dreadful, poor, nasty, brutish and short. Everyone was sick of such a bad life and wanted to get rid of it and this was done through a social contract.
Hobbes’ view of Social Contract
Being sick of this kind of life in the state of nature, each man decided to surrender his natural right to govern himself to the hands of a common superior. He will have to obey his commands and do as instructed. Each man entered into a contact with everyone else. This contract was made under the natural rights of each man to voluntarily enter into any contract with any one else and the consequent natural obligation of each other to carry out the contract thus made.
The result of this contract was the birth of the sovereign with all the powers to govern all citizens of the state. His birth transformed the state of nature into State and thus social contract gave birth to the absolute sovereignty and the State.
Features of Hobbes’ Contract
- The contract was made by the people for ending the state of nature in which life was poor, nasty, solitary, brutish and short, there was perpetual war and a situation of total chaos and anarchy.
- The contract was absolutely binding on all, except the sovereign.
- Each man entered into a contract with everyone else and surrendered his power to govern himself to a third person who became the sovereign. And his commands were to be obeyed by all.
- The surrender of governing power to the sovereign was full and final and no one has the right to withdraw from it or to disobey it.
- The sovereign got the absolute right to provide security to the people and to rule them. Sovereignty was absolute, comprehensive, inalienable, imprescriptible, individual, unlimited and supreme power to rule. Hobbes was one of the supporters of the absolute sovereignty of the ruler.
- The commands of the sovereign were laws and these were binding upon all the people and no one could disobey laws of the sovereign, i.e. the commands of the ruler.
- Since the contract was full and final, no one has the right to revolt against the sovereign. The sovereign ruler/head was the only judge of what to do and what not.
- Law was the command and force was the sanction behind law.
- Hobbes did not make any difference between society and state because both originated from the social contract. The social contract gave birth to the state, society and government.
- According to Hobbes, Liberty is the gift of the sovereign. What the sovereign permits is liberty, what he lays down is law and what he accepts or tolerates is also law.
- Hobbes was an extreme individualist in his conception of life in the state of nature and view of human nature. He held that in the state of nature, each individual enjoyed the rights to get anything provided he had the power to get his desires and there were also no limitations on his freedom of action. However, in his social contract theory Hobbes strongly advocated the concept of absolute sovereignty of the ruler.
Critical Evaluation of Hobbes’ Theory of Social Contact
Despite the fact that hobbes was a great system-builder and his theory of social contract constituted a well-knit theory, the critics point out its several limitations.
- Hobbes' conception of human nature was one-sided and untrue. To explain it in terms of selfishness and fear was indeed wrong. Hobbes failed to give any place to the dignities in his conception of human nature.
- The explanation of the state of nature as given by hobbes also appears to be harsh and unrealistic. How could there be a stage of extreme individualism in which each man could act as a world in himself, in which might was right, and in which life was full of bloodshed and wars. In case this view of the state of nature is accepted, we find it difficult to accept his view that people living in the state of nature agreed to enter into a social contract.
- On one hand Hobbes portrays the state of nature as a state of chaos and anarchy and on the other he talks of the natural right of making contracts and the natural law of obeying the contracts.
- According to Hobbes, the social contract led to the birth of the absolute sovereign of the ruler. Such a concept has an in-built thesis in favour of despotism and absolutism.
- Hobbes failed to make a difference between State, Society and Government.
- It is indeed wrong to say that law is the only command of the sovereign and that force alone is the sanction behind law. Law has different sources and there are several sanctions behind it.
- His theory contains an unhealthy and non-accepted mixture of both extreme absolutism and extreme individualism.
Therefore, Hobbes’ Theory of Social Contract cannot be accepted as valid because it wrongly holds that State is a man-made machine. State is a natural human institute that has developed naturally through a historic process of evolution.
This article on Social Contract Theory of Hobbes in Political Science is contributed by Dipshikha Anand. If you like LawStudyPoint.com do follow us on our Twitter handle.