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WA1. Realist Thinkers: Thomas Hobbes

Statement

Pick one of the six listed Realist thinkers and present a 3-page Research Paper on them, their views, and their presentation of Realism as a Philosophical Discipline from their era using the rubric below.

  • Sun Tzu (Ancient China)
  • Thucydides (Ancient Greece)
  • Machiavelli (Medieval Italy)
  • Thomas Hobbes (civil war-torn England)
  • Mao Tse Tung (Communist China)
  • Hans J. Morgenthau (USA 1950s)

In the paper, identify a philosopher of your choice and give a short biographical paragraph describing him, another for the era and culture in which he lived, and a third paragraph that gives a reason/s for why he is interesting to you.

From there:

  • Describe their Philosophical view as it directly reflects their espousal of Realism
  • Give several examples of this view from their point of view
  • Close with your opinion about their viewpoint and if you believe it was valid at the time
  • Could it withstand the test of time?
    • That is, given the cultural underpinnings of your chosen person, it may have been true back then but if he lived in your town today would his views still remain as valid? Why, why not?

Answer

This text picked Thomas Hobbes as the Realist thinker to be researched.

Thomas Hobbes was an English philosopher best known for his political philosophy. He was born in April 1588 and died on December 1679 at the age of 92. His most famous book Leviathan (1651) discussed the social contract theory and is considered the foundation of most Western political philosophy (UML, 2023).

Hobbes lived in a time of civil war in England. The English Civil War between 1642 and 1651 emerged from the conflict between King Charles I and Parliament. The war had forced him to leave for France where he stayed for 11 years, then returned to Wales for some time and then returned to England for the rest of his life. The cruelty of the war and the political instability of the time had a significant impact on his philosophical views where his Leviathan had offended Royalists, churchmen, and Parliamentarians with his famous quote “The life of man, solitary, poor, nasty, brutish and short” (Thomas Hobbes (1588-1679) - Hertford College, 2018).

Hobbes is interesting to me because of his views on the state of nature and the social contract theory aligns with my views on the role of government to be strong and that people need to obey the government to a certain extent as ultimate freedom -such as the one in the state of nature- chaotic. Another reason is that I live in England and the history of the country is interesting to me.

His philosophical views are based on the idea that “we ought to do depends greatly on the situation in which we find ourselves” which matches the definition of realism to a great extent. He sees that political authority is necessary to avoid the state of nature (where humans are in constant conflicts for safety); he thinks that authority protects people and the role of people is to obey that authority (Hobbes, Thomas: Moral and Political Philosophy | Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy, 2024).

One example of his view is that people should transfer the right of governing themselves to the sovereign (the ruler) and once transferred, it is absolute; that is, people should obey unless many feel that their lives are in danger from the ruler. The ruler is the supreme commander of the military, assigns officials, regulates the economy, and puts laws in place. People should not challenge the ruler’s authority as it will lead to chaos (Thomas Hobbes - Leviathan, Social Contract, Enlightenment | Britannica, 2024).

Another example of his view is that he defines the state of nature as when first humans lived on earth where there was no solid society or government; he thinks that in this state everyone would think of everyone else as an enemy and should be taken before they take you. He expresses that in this quote from the Leviathan: “Every man ought to endeavor peace, as far as he has hope of obtaining it, and when he cannot obtain it, that he may seek and use all helps and advantages of war” (Hobbes, Thomas: Moral and Political Philosophy | Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy, 2024).

In my opinion, his viewpoint is valid at the time and I agree with his views of the state of nature; that’s why we lock our doors, cars, and phones although we have governments, police, and strong armies. However, I disagree with the idea of absolute obedience to the ruler as the modern democratic system proved that people can hold rulers accountable for their actions; private material and intellectual property rights should be protected and they are not for the ruler to control.

To conclude, Hobbes’ views were valid at his time, and they are still partially valid today, but I don’t think they withstand the test of time. If Hobbes presented his ideas in the modern world, he would not have had the same impact as he did in his time; as no one will listen to him. Overall, absolute obedience and absolute freedom are both harmful; and -in my opinion- the best way is to find the right balance where just enough authority is given to the government and the rest is left for the people to decide.

References

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