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Hobbes' Argument for a Sovereign State

            Thomas Hobbes is recognized to be a great advocate of absolute authority within a state. The essay that follows will illuminate Hobbs' reasons (premises) for the elimination of distributed authority in his political philosophy as in The Leviathan. Hobbes argues that an ailing commonwealth has many subsidizing factors. One of which would naturally be if the sovereign does not enjoy ultimate power over his public. Hobbs articulates his concern that this may lead to social disorder. Furthermore, he understands that revolting is dispatched to the kin of the people and equates it to an illness or a birth defect. Alternatively, individuals should be prohibited to assess, for themselves, what deeds are good or evil. Hobbes suggests that civil law should dictate what actions are conventional and force these rules upon the masses. When the populaces deliberate and then disregard the commonwealth the system will tumble. The commonwealth, tainted by yet another illness, could not operate when entities consider their integrity superior above that public duty requires. Again man should not be tolerated to decide for himself what is acceptable behavior. Hobbes defends his statement by stating that a man's conscience and judgement are identical. Within the commonwealth man is subject to the public conscience that should be conformed to without any distraction of divided opinion. .
             In a commonwealth the sovereign cannot be subjected to his own laws as he is to the laws of nature. He could not be accountable to himself and thus not to the commonwealth's regulations. The sovereign could likewise not possibly be held accountable by another, more powerful sovereign and so that sovereign by yet another, until eternity. It would not be possible for a commonwealth to perform if man has a sense of politeness concerning his own commodities. His will consequently eradicate the power of the sovereign's rule. Each individual has the right to his own possessions, protected from other men by the sovereign.


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