In contrast to animals, which are able to live together in society without a coercive power, Hobbes says that men are unable to coexist peacefully without a greater authority because they are quarrelsome by nature. The first idea Hobbes articulates that is fundamental to his conception of the commonwealth is that the natural condition of human beings, which is antagonistic, definitively condemns men to lives of violence and misery without a strong government. Second, Hobbes places an inordinate amount of faith in his all-powerful sovereign, making several assumptions that are likely implausible and lastly, his ideas regarding the sovereign’s rights conflict with some of the other ideas he expresses. First his theoretical conception of the covenant ignores practical considerations the idea of a citizenry coming together to agree to a covenant has never before been realized. Hobbes’ ideas are mostly well reasoned, but there are a few problems with his arguments. Continuing along this line of thought, Hobbes decides that the most powerful government is best, and so he concludes that a monarch with unlimited rights should rule. The Leviathan’s creation through a covenant is voluntary, rational and necessary, Hobbes believes, because is it the only way to guarantee man’s peace and security and the only way to escape the dreaded state of nature. Once these presuppositions are established, then Hobbes writes of the formation and design of the commonwealth.
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