What is Thomas Hobbes' Leviathan?

The idea that the human being is fundamentally selfish has been nurtured by many thinkers over the centuries, and that in part has influenced the way in which we understand our mind.

The philosopher Thomas Hobbes, for example, is one of the great representatives of this ideological tradition, and he is so partly because of one of the most famous concepts he developed: Leviathan.

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What is Leviathan in philosophy?

The Leviathan, in English, or Leviathan, as it is popularly known, is surely the most important and transcendental work of the 17th century English philosopher, politician and thinker, Thomas Hobbes.

Referencing and writing with splendid mastery, the author refers to the most feared biblical monster to explain and justify the existence of an absolutist state that subjugates its citizens. Written in 1651, his work has been of great inspiration in political science and, paradoxically, in the evolution of social law.

In biblical scriptures

As we pointed out previously, the character of Leviathan comes from mythology and scriptures of the Bible, whose governments of the Middle Ages used to justify royal governments "by the grace of God."

The Leviathan is a fearsome being who has no mercy, scruples, or compassion. It is of a gigantic size and, according to the Old Testament, it has been related to the devil himself and that he was defeated by God to make good prevail over evil.

But... where this the relationship between this monster and the role of the state, according to Hobbes?

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Thomas Hobbes and his political adaptation of Leviathan

Thomas Hobbes was born in England in 1588 at a historical time when Great Britain was threatened by the feared and invincible Spanish Armada. This philosopher graduated from Oxford University in scholastic studies and philosophical logic that, influenced by authors such as Pierre Gassendi and Rene Descartes, he would be considered a key author in the development of Western political theory.

Returning to his work, Leviathan is a book that consists of 4 parts, where he explains the relationship between man and the State through a consensual pact in the power relationship between the commander and the president.

Basically, the Leviathan, the Government, is a terrifying but necessary figure that, for Hobbes, serves to make a certain peace and order, necessary for civilization to progress and individuals not to threaten or suffer threats or attacks by others individuals.

1. The man

In this part man is analyzed as a human individual, being of knowledge and wisdom. Man is made and developed through experience; experience that is defined as the repetition of acts and experiences that will shape society. He will speak to carry out the imposition of the truth, through oratory and political discourse.

The problem arises with the very desires of man. Due to the material and passionate impulses of people, individual interests will always turn against others, thus generating a conflict, especially in the search for power and wealth.

In this enclave Hobbes spoke in what will be remembered as one of the most famous phrases of humanity: "homo homini lupus est" (man is a wolf to man). For this reason, the pillars in the construction of society are ethics, morals and justice. But, for Hobbes, something more is needed.

2. The state

It is in this space of action where Hobbes will introduce the concept of "Social Pact" or "Social Contract", manipulated and elaborated by men to ensure individual safety and protection in order to end the conflicts faced by individual interests.

It is in the State where moral laws prevail over natural laws. That is, collective desires prevail versus the passionate desires of men. For Hobbes, the only function of the government is to establish and ensure peace, stability in society.

The author only defends three possible models of government: the monarchy (her favorite of him), the aristocracy and democracy, in this precise order. He has a preference for absolutism because he justifies the common good, where private and public interests are one, admitting that "it is impossible that if a King is rich, his people are poor."

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3. The Christian State

Thomas Hobbes was an avowed believer, but by no means the fate of an entire town was subordinated to divinity. Furthermore, he came to question the Ten Commandments of Moses due to a lack of evidence to show who and for what real purpose those laws were enacted.

Consequently, the author placed great emphasis on the dependence of the Church on the sovereign, in this case the monarch, to avoid pretentious interpretations that harm the common good, the peace that defended.

Concludes attributinga secondary role to the Church, subordinated by the supreme head of the State (the Catholic kings), and will be considered the supreme pastors of their own people, holding the sole power to legislate for their subjects.

4. The Kingdom of Darkness

Being perhaps the most controversial section, Hobbes makes a clear and harsh criticism of religious institutions, the Church in particular. He names this chapter "The Kingdom of Darkness" as part of the corrupt and cynical framework that the house of God has had throughout the history of great empires, such as the Roman one.

He accuses the Christian authorities of having been untrue, of wanting to impose ignorance for their own benefit and thus having the mass well indoctrinated with false practices, such as idolatry to saints, figures, images or relics that are prohibited by the word of God.

However, and saving distances with the machinations of which he rejects so much, Hobbes asserts that in some specific cases the word of truth can be silenced or silenced, if that leads to destabilization of the state through rebellion that upsets the established order and status quo.