Thomas Hobbes Absolute Authority

Hobbes argues that the sovereign’s absolute authority is vital to the self-preservation and maintenance of civil peace of the commonwealth. Without these, there would be civil war and chaos. He believes that the benefits of having a sovereign outweigh the disadvantages, despite the many rights that the sovereign is entitled to. This is why Hobbes believes that those living under the rule of the sovereign still exercise freedom. For Hobbes, liberty is defined as the ability to act in accordance to one’s own will without being physically restricted. For example, being tied up in chains physically disables the ability to exercise freedom and thus hinders one’s liberty. Accordingly, the subjects who live in covenant without any physical restraints
Animals live in coherence, yet do not have a sovereign state. Hobbes then questions why men cannot live in a harmonious state of nature. He explores the relationships between ants to understand why men cannot live in the same manner. The first reason comes from psychology. Ants do not feel envy or hatred and cannot be ‘injured’ from an insult. Also, animals do not talk or possess speech; therefore they cannot bring themselves to insult someone. In addition, they cannot lie or mislead others because they lack the ability to do so. This means that ants are not selfish and do not make themselves better off through the means of deception and cheating. For humans, getting ahead is natural because we are rational beings that are innately competitive. Another factor as to why humans are different from ants is that the common good does not differ from the private in an ant society. There are no real cases that arise where one ant’s interest conflicts with that of the community. The ant’s society is much tighter, so any act that is detrimental to an ant is also detrimental to the community. Therefore, what is good for the community is good for the ant. This results in all ants having the same common