PLSC 100 Lecture Notes - Lecture 3: Thomas Hobbes, Autocracy, Thought Experiment
Document Summary
The state of nature: the condition that lacks a superior authority to regulate interactions among people. It"s a condition of maximum insecurity and uncertainty. To escape from the state of nature: to get rid of its problems. To get a life that is connected, rich, noble, elevated and long. The creation of the sovereign with the absolute power is the only way. Only an absolute power can put an end to the condition of perpetual uncertainty embedded in the state of nature. It"s an artificial person (or office) that is created by the social contract. It cannot exist by nature, it"s a product of art and science. It"s a product of the consent of the governed. It"s the people who endow the sovereign with the authority to represent them. It"s similar to what we call modern executive power or executive authority. The sovereign does not own the state. He/she is appointed or authorized to provide safety for people.
