Hobbes
In this essay, I shall define the modern state and put Hobbes in some sort of historical context. ... Finally I shall critically look at the problems with Hobbes theories and see how he dealt with alternative forms of authority.During Thomas Hobbes life, Europe was politically very unstable. It had just recovered from the Protestant reformation and the English civil war was happening actually as Hobbes was writing Leviathan, his seminal work. ... Hobbes is often thought of as one of the founding fathers of the modern state.Hobbes spends a great deal of time examining human nature in his book "Leviathan". ... It is merely a rational fiction that allows Hobbes to strip man of society and show how he would really act. ... Hobbes writes that: [In this condition] there is no place for Industry; because the fruit thereof is uncertain; and consequently no Culture of the Earth; no Navigation, nor use of the commodities that may be imported by Sea; no commodious Building; no Instruments of moving, and removing such things as require much force; no Knowledge of the face of the Earth; no account of Time; no Arts; no Letters; no Society; and which is worst of all, continuall feare, and danger of violent death; And the life of man, solitary, poore, nasty, brutish and short. Political theorist before Hobbes had argued that there were various ways of getting around this problem. ... In Hobbes Modern State, this distinction was completely artificial: The two entities were mutually dependant, and were connected by a social contract, agreement or covenant. ... The only other social contract theory before Hobbes was the two-contract theory. ... The beauty of Hobbes Leviathan, is that it proposes a single contract theory which can stand alone. Hobbes wrote that:A COMMONWEALTH is said to be instituted when a multitude of men do agree, and covenant, every one with every one, that to whatsoever man, or assembly of men, shall be given by the major part the right to present the person of them all, that is to say, to be their representative; every one, as well he that voted for it as he that voted against it, shall authorize all the actions and judgements of that man, or assembly of men, in the same manner as if they were his own, to the end to live peaceably amongst themselves, and be protected against other men. ... Hobbes thought that the alternative to this state was the state of nature which was described above.