Hobbes and the question of Legitimate Authority in the Leviathan: liberalism or fascism avant la lettre?

Résumé du document

Hobbes contends that the human state of nature exists where every man is at war with every other man and in order to free ourselves from this state, we must relinquish all of our rights to one unified authority. The intention of this sovereign body is supposedly to serve the good of the people, but the sovereign himself is not subject to any kind of social law or charges of injustice. Thus, Hobbes advocates an authority that assumes absolute power and exists on a superior plane to the citizens who serve it, yet have no ability to influence it whatsoever; by near definition, Hobbes argues in a favor of a fascist government. In Hobbes's view of the world, the authority is undoubtedly meant to serve over the individual, but issues such as race and gender do not play a role in dividing social power. Hobbes in fact argues for the equality of mankind. Such argument in favor of human equality appears to be one of Hobbes's only truly liberal contentions.

Extraits

[...] This aspect of Hobbes's government most clearly illustrates his intention of investing all power in a unified sovereign whilst stripping the people of their individual liberties. Although Hobbes believes in the investing of all power into a single sovereign, he argues that the purpose of this power is to provide the “procuration of the safety of the people” and other contentments of life” (xxx, 219). Thus, it could be argued that Hobbes intends for the sovereign to carry out the will of the people and to look out for their goodness and protection, but who is going to enforce the sovereign to do this and continue to do it? [...]

[...] Thus, Hobbes offers a form of government that can never be corrected or reformed if it becomes corrupt, and the fact that the sovereign is exempt from all forms of law seems to happily welcome such a notion of corruption. In our world, there is hardly an existing form of government whose neglect of internal check and balances carries this attitude less than fascism and totalitarianism. Hobbes believes that whenever there is a lack of an effective government or legitimate authority in place, we are in the state of nature. [...]

[...] He contends that the reading of books pertaining to past wars and revolutions leads to the ultimate destruction of monarchies, and it is in no interest of the commonwealth whatsoever to allow such books to circulate amongst the public. Hobbes writes: cannot imagine how anything can be more prejudicial to a monarchy than the allowing of such books to be publicly read without present applying such correctives of discreet masters as are fit to take away their venom, which venom I will not doubt to compare to the biting of a mad dog, which is a disease the physicians call hydrophobia, or fear of water” (xxix, 215). [...]

[...] It could be argued that all societies and governments must maintain arms for the sake of national security, but Hobbes clearly argues that the importance of arms is to ensure that the people obey whatever the sovereign dictates. This viewpoint categorizes warfare not as a means of security and defense from external sources, but instead primarily as a means of oppression and domination over the very citizens of the state. The question of where to categorize Hobbes' political philosophy boils down to examining his presentation of inhumane means (i.e. supreme control over law, lack of checks and balances) as a way of achieving humane ends (i.e. self-preservation, co-existence and peace). [...]

[...] Such a ruler is not subject to his own laws, and he is given the authority, by Hobbes, to change laws however he sees fit with the implementation of arms to enforce them. In a single text, Hobbes has propounded the necessity of a dictator. His harsh propositions for censorship and the suppression of civil liberties, combined with his advocated policies of propagating fear and mistruths throughout the public portray Hobbes definitively as the founder of the modern fascist state. [...]