Thomas Hobbes: Rules and Boundaries of the Commonwealth

In an effort to explain to the world the importance of government, and respecting a sovereign, Thomas Hobbes wrote Leviathan. Within Leviathan, Hobbes discusses the inherent rules and boundaries a commonwealth must have in order to ensure it does not digress back into the State of Nature.

According to Hobbes, the commonwealth is a solution to the State of Nature. Essentially, subjects come together and elect a sovereign that will write and enforce laws that will protect the subjects from one another. These laws are meant provide a safe environment for all subjects to thrive in. The subjects elect whomsoever they think is most likely to deliver the results they desire. They transfer their rights of self governing to the Sovereign, and from that point the Sovereign has the ability to do as it sees fit to keep the subjects out of the State of Nature.

Since the purpose of the commonwealth is to deliver an environment that keeps subjects out of the State of Nature and provides them with peace and defense, the Sovereign derives certain rights that are necessary for the task. A Sovereign cannot be removed from its position by force, and its subjects cannot rebel nor can they institute a new Sovereign. This will provide stability within the commonwealth, thusly eliminating the chances of lawlessness or digression to the State of Nature^₁.

In return for electing the sovereign and following the rules that Hobbes has set forth, the subjects are granted liberty. Hobbes' definition of liberty is simply the absence of opposition². More simplistically, subjects simply have the power to move³. This means that if a subject desires to do something, and it is within the ability of that subject to perform the task willed, then he or she may do it. In other words, the commonwealth gives subjects the ability to act on their own will. If a man is on a boat which is sinking, and he wills to throw his belongings off of the boat and jump into the water to survive, he may. If he decides that he would rather go down with his ship, then that too is his prerogative.

Hobbes has deducted this mentality of liberty from his purpose for the commonwealth. The commonwealth has been instituted to elevate the subjects from the State of Nature, and provide safety for each subject's body and will. Thusly, the commonwealth would eliminate most opposition toward an individuals self contained action. The commonwealth sets forth laws and boundaries that give the man the ability to choose if he wishes to live or die. Liberties are inherent in the purpose for the commonwealth. The commonwealth's task of providing safety to its subjects affords those subjects the ability to act on their will without risking opposition⁴.

The commonwealth's number one purpose is without question safety and Hobbes' design for a commonwealth's institution works to ensure this. With regards to the State of Nature a sovereign is given power by its subjects for the purpose of unifying every subject's understanding of right and wrong. This unification is needed because in the State of Nature people are governed by their own conscience, and nothing more. Working under the premise that each person's conscience is different, the State of Nature can be pictured as chaotic. The chaos comes from the problem that is presented when a person does not know the thoughts and morals of their neighbor. For example, a subject believes their neighbor to see it suitable to kill a man for his house. In order to protect himself, the subject may see it justifiable to kill the neighbor so that the neighbor never has a chance to kill the subject.

A commonwealth would prevent this from ever happening because their would be a law forbidding murder for any reason other than self defense, considerably minimizing the amount of fear between two subjects. This absence of fear would allow subjects to be more trusting of each other and they may not feel inclined to "strike before stricken". Hobbes' model does not only work for safety however.

His method calls for subjects to elect a Sovereign so that they might be unified under something. Having a single governing entity is a way to enforce unity, and so Hobbes' model for a commonwealth would work so long as the purpose for the Sovereign is unification. This can be seen with the Catholic Church. Jesus appointed his disciple Peter as the first Pope at Antioch⁵ in the Acts of the Apostles. It was from this beginning that the Catholic Church has had its dogma governed by the Pope and his Magisterial. The Church is not governed by the Pope for purposes of safety between Catholics, but rather to ensure that all Catholics share the same beliefs and follow the same rules of worship. Thusly, Hobbes' model for the commonwealth does work for different ends.

¹Hobbes,

Leviathan, (London: Penguin Books, 1985), p.230-235

²Hobbes,

Leviathan, (London: Penguin Books, 1985), p.261

³Hobbes,

Leviathan, (London: Penguin Books, 1985), p.262

⁴So long as their will does not conflict with the laws of the Commonwealth

⁵Present day Turkey