Thomas Hobbes
Analysis of the importance of Hobbes theory to International RelationsI chose to analyze the extract of the book of Thomas Hobbes, The Leviathan. When Hobbes talks about the insecurity environment in which the man develops, he starts from the assumption that all men are evil, that evilness is a fundamental part of him and his quintessence. The nature of men is to live in society to interact with its others counterparts and to develop strategies and mechanisms to guarantee its safety and its progress in the world and in the society which he lives. When these two innate characteristics of men converge, then the problem its created, the reciprocal insecurity that Hobbes describe is now created and men has a new issue to deal with, and for Hobbes it is a matter of survival, men has to create his own ways and learn how to look up for himself in this permanent danger and insecurity that he lives. So, the question is raised: How can men overcome this sate of nature and survive? For Hobbes there is only one possible answer, if we part from the premise that nature of men is evil, and that all individuals are selfish and look up only for themselves then its easy to conclude that the only possible way for man to survive is to develop a
Human nature can't be changed and will always be an obstacle to much needed reform. The victory will go to the strongest, that state will survive and will impose his interests over the others, as long as it is determined to do so and as long as it understands that cooperation and survival go together most of the time and are essential for the achievement of collective peace. States are also selfish, states only seek to achieve their interest and purposes no matter what, the other state will always be my enemy and will always seek to destroy me and to take advantage of me in order to get what it wants, this insecurity creates the need to defense, so every state tries to defend itself from the menace of the other and the other also seeks protection, so the chaos is inevitable and the insecurity unsustainable. With all this, its imperative to find a solution that more or less satisfies the entire society and that can guarantee that this state of nature will be overcome without sacrificing so much. However, this is a vicious circle; in preparing to defend oneself, the consequence might be the creation of a more insecure and hostile environment, it does not matter if we have to sacrifice others in order to advance and survive. There has to be a ruling power that all man accept, recognize and there must be a tacit agreement that this authority will rule men and will provide them with the much needed security. nd to apply his evilness towards his fellow integrants of society. But how do we create a Leviathan In this society? Is it really possible for states to renounce to some of its rights and lend them to a unitary power? Who is adequate to assume these functions? And more important, which state will be willing to transfer its rights? Do these rights include the right of preservation, of self defense? The answers to these questions are all based on the assumption that the laws of nature are identical with the laws of states, as Hobbes argues. We have to think ahead of others and in order to achieve our goals and to advance we have to foresee the evil intentions of others that want to surpass us and that want to destroy us in order to achieve their goals. We have to be as selfish as possible, think ahead, always be ready to attack and to defend our interests, no matter what, because our primordial goal is to survive this hostile sate of nature, think in ourselves and only do and act according to this way of thinking. Man are equal, thus its probable that we may have all the same expectations of achieving our purposes, but if two persons want the same thing the only and possible outcome is conflict, a conflict that ay only be overcome by the use of force. This is what he calls the Leviathan, that is destined to end for once and for all the dangerous and insecure state of nature in which we all live as free men. Without this Leviathan, man cannot now what is rightfully theirs, they must defend themselves because there is no institution that can guarantee their safety and that can provide with respect to their rights as human beings that belong to a political society. So in reference to the extract to analyze, every state has to prepare itself to attack, to fight back and never to submit to force.
Common topics in this essay:
Leviathan Hobbes,
International Relations,
,
guarantee safety,
nature live,
sate nature,
achieve goals,
international relations,
|
Acceptance Essays
