#10 First Installment Thomas Hobbes and The Social Contract

Hobbes and The Social Contract

            God is often lauded by the pious as the zenith of all existences within the universe. Thomas Hobbes, the man said to be the father of political philosophy, made numerous enemies within academia and the church during his career. Theologians locked horns with Hobbes regularly because he claimed that their knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ was far more than should be possible for any mortal. I find this interesting since many Christians of the modern era also affirm that their own savior is limitless in his potential and power but bicker among themselves as to what extent that power exists. Hobbes would more than likely say that this is a faulty method of thinking about God, as mere mortals can’t know everything about a deity so the infighting about God and his attributes does make a degree of sense. 

          Theologians may disagree among themselves about who God is, but the central premise conforms to a standard which is all powerful. Any narrative that may contradict or even redefine God was unacceptable in Hobbes era. In truth Hobbes was no atheist, he simply chose a different lens to view God, and the transfer of souls to the afterlife. Many Christians believe that the transference of souls from life to afterlife is not applicable to other living organisms. This is strange given that humans are mammals just as say pigs or cows, yet humans are endowed with souls yet animals lack them. This presupposition of where souls ought to be was one of Hobbes main gripes against theologians, since claiming to know God’s true intent is ridiculous given the biblical premise that his methods are unknown to humans. This falls in line with his social contract theory that a leader ought to be unquestionable to his subjects, so Hobbes must not have been fond of seeing sheep question their Shepard.

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      The concept of a central entity holding all power for the masses to submit to was an integral facet of Hobbes philosophy. Despite the fact that many theologians and scholars abhorred Hobbes as a nonbeliever, he was indeed a follower of the divine. Hobbes did not, however, adhere to the mainstream belief that the soul would be judged upon the body’s end. Hobbes maintained the view that human judgement is unreliable and as such should be guided by science. Only by following science could a person free themselves of their inferior notions of the universe, and obtain reliable knowledge of the future. Christians often said that the day of resurrection, the day of the messiah’s return is immanent, and that the flesh is dead to the desires of the spirit, in Hobbes view, clinging to this belief, kept them shackled. Perhaps it was his disdain for traditional scholastic philosophy. He would often refer to the frequency of insignificant speech" in his own works like the Leviathan(3).

        Hobbes thought that theology should not meddle in the affairs of policy, maybe his low opinion of humanity-thinking of them as wicked beasts-influenced his personal philosophy that a singularity is needed to guide the witless masses. He acknowledged the authority of a deity, but believed it was not the place of his subjects to try and discern the Lord’s characteristics and influence policy for their own selfish ends. Hobbes thought that power not harnessed in the hands of a singularity would ultimately cause the downfall of humanity. I imagine with Hobbes low opinion of humanity, he would naturally . Hobbes life was that of a misunderstood thinker who was ostracized simply for thinking differently. It is my fervent hope that we look to Hobbes’ life and show the same humility as he once did.  

For insight into the motivation for the topic discussed:

1.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BNau_Cdll3w
2. http://img.myconfinedspace.com/wp-content/uploads/2007/04/renewed-efforts-to-destroy-bible.gif  
3. http://www.iep.utm.edu/hobmoral/
4.https://sites.google.com/a/codyhs.org/rodriguez-social-contract-theory/what-is-the-social-contract-theory