Hobbes on Social Contract:

Hobbes belong to the tradition of ‘Social Contract’. It is a concept based on

capitalism. If economy in capitalism runs by contract, society and government
is also based on the concept of contract. Contract symbolizes, state and
society are not natural. They are result of contract among people. Mechanistic
view of state in opposition to Naturalistic view / Organic view of the state.
When we use the term machine, we actually undermine that institution. Here
state is a machine or a means for the end of man. The end of man is
attainment of happiness. It means state is a institution of utility. Purpose of the
state is to increase pleasure and decrease pain. Social contract is also a
methodology to evolve political theory.

Social contract method consist of following steps.

1] Description of human nature.

2] State of nature: It is a hypothetical concept which shows the life of man, if

man is left to live naturally without state. Hence there will be certain problems
in the state of nature for which man will enter into the contract with each other
to form the state.

3] Process of contract: This will determine the terms and conditions,

obligations and liabilities of the parties.

1] Description of Human Nature

“Life of a man is a continuous search for power, after power, which
ceases only with his death.”

In above statement, Thomas Hobbes explains reasons behind power seeking

nature of man.

He applies resolutive compositive method to understand the fundamental

characteristics of human nature. Like anything else in the universe, human
brain is also made up of particles which are in the state of motion. So long
man is alive, particles will remain in the state of motion. All human motions
can be categorized into tow basic types. Love and Aversion. The things which
give us pleasure, generate the motion /emotion of love and the things which
give us pain generate the emotion of aversion. Hence there is a continuous
desire for things which give pleasure. Man is not satisfied…. Satisfaction of
one pleasure give rise to the search for the other.

Power is a means to obtain the things which give us pleasure. It can be

physical power, economic power, political power or any other sort of power.
Since the desires for pleasure continue throughout life, the search for power
also continues. Hence the life of man is a continuous search for power after
power, which ends only with his death. Thus power seeking nature of man is
a derivative of the utilitarian nature of man.

Critical evaluation: Hobbes description of human nature is too much

influenced by the situations prevailing in England during his times. He gives
only one sided view of human nature. The way he describes human nature
show Hobbes as the scholar of the emerging capitalist class. It cannot be
considered as the scientific explanation and is nothing but a discourse.
This can also be seen as an attempt by Hobbes to justify absolute authority of
state,

2] State of Nature
“The state of nature is a state of war. Of all against all.”

“In the state of nature, the life of man is nasty, poor, brutish, and
short.”

“In the state of nature, there is no scope for art, literature, letters,
navigation, industry.”

State of nature is a hypothetical concept used by Social Contract

thinker to show how our life will be in the absence of state, or when
we live just according to our nature.

According to Hobbes, human life in the state of nature will be in the

state of war, a war of all against all.

He finds explanation for state of war in the fundamental characteristics of

human nature. The fundamental characteristic of human nature is that man is
utilitarian. Utilitarian nature of man is because of the movement of particles in
brain. Movement of particles continue, so long we are alive. Hence there is a
continuous search for pleasure.
Power is a means to obtain the things which give us pleasure. He brings the
dilemma of unlimited desires and limited means. People may have different
desires but means to obtain desire is same. Hence all people run after power.
There is a competition or struggle for power. Man is assured of enjoying
pleasure only when man has more power than the others. Power is a zero
sum game. When one person increases his power, it makes other person
powerless in the same proportion. Hence the other will also try to acquire
power. And the struggle will continue. Hence the life in the state of nature is a
state of war. There is no security of life. There is always a fear that other
person can deprive me from my life.

When life is not secure, there is no scope for good life. Hence the life of man
will be nasty, poor, brutish and short. In such scenario, there will be no scope
for civilizational developments. Such a state of nature is a state of pain. Hence
pleasure seeking man would like to avoid anarchy or state of nature.

It is to be noted that his description of the state of nature is influenced by the

situations prevailing in Britain during the time of civil war. (Puritan Revolution –
1641)

“I and fear were born together.”

In above statement Hobbes has shown that the foundation of the authority of
the state lies in the element of fear in man… justification of powerful state…
etc.

Hobbes is not only one of the greatest political philosophers, he is also one of
the greatest authors in English literature. He has used metaphorical language.
The above statement has link with the event in his life. His mother gave
premature birth to him because of fear of Spanish Armada. Hence he
suggests that “I and fear were born together.”

3] Social Contract
He means to suggest that man is fearful by nature. On the basis of resolutive
compositive method, he proves that man is utilitarian, man is fearful of losing
the life. Man fears death because death is the end of pleasure. In the state of
nature, there was no security of life, it was the state of war, life was nasty,
poor, brutish and short. Hence for the sake of security of life, man enters into
the contract and creates the state. The most important function of the state is
the protection of life. Right to life is the supreme right, state is to preserve the
life. And even state cannot take the life of man in an arbitrary manner.

Thus like Machiavelli, he also established the basis of authority in the fearful
nature of man.

Who are the parties in the contract?

According to Hobbes, it is a contract of all with all. It means this contract will
be applicable on all.

What are the terms and conditions of the contract?

All people decide that they will transfer all of their rights which they were
enjoying in the state of nature to the third party. That third party is state or
commonwealth.

Was there any limitation on the liberty of man?

There was no limitation on either right or liberty. Man was completely free to
do what it wanted. It will result into the situation of chaos. There will be no
protection of even life. Hence man will transfer all of the rights except right to
self-preservation. Right to self-preservation is inalienable, natural right. Earlier
man was sovereign, man had all powers, but now after the transfer state
becomes sovereign. State has all powers. Hence the authority of the state is
absolute. According to Hobbes, man has only two options . Either to live under
the absolute anarchy or under the absolute authority of the state.

Which option man will chose and why?

Man will chose to live under absolute authority of the state rather than anarchy
or absolute liberty. Hence security has a primacy over liberty.

I give up all of my rights, to this assembly or to this person (state) on

the conditions that all will give up their rights.”