Three Introductory Lectures on Leviathan

Steven Smith, Yale University Open Courses. PLSC 114: Introduction to Political Philosophy. Yale University.

Lecture I:

This is an introduction to the political views of Thomas Hobbes, which are often deemed paradoxical. On the one hand, Hobbes is a stern defender of political absolutism. The Hobbesian doctrine of sovereignty dictates complete monopoly of power within a given territory and over all institutions of civilian or ecclesiastical authority. On the other hand, Hobbes insists on the fundamental equality of human beings. He maintains that the state is a contract between individuals, that the sovereign owes his authority to the will of those he governs and is obliged to protect the interests of the governed by assuring civil peace and security. These ideas have been interpreted by some as indicative of liberal opposition to absolutism.

Hobbes’ most famous metaphor, that of “the state of nature,” is explained. It can be understood as the condition of human life in the absence of authority or anyone to impose rules, laws, and order. The concept of the individual is also discussed on Hobbesian terms, according to which the fundamental characteristics of the human beings are the capacity to exercise will and the ability to choose. Hobbes, as a moralist, concludes that the laws of nature, or “precepts of reason,” forbid us from doing anything destructive in life.

Lecture III:

The concept of sovereignty is discussed in Hobbesian terms. For Hobbes, “the sovereign” is an office rather than a person, and can be characterized by what we have come to associate with executive power and executive authority. Hobbes’ theories of laws are also addressed and the distinction he makes between “just laws” and “good laws.” The lecture ends with a discussion of Hobbes’ ideas in the context of the modern state.

Online:
Yale - Leviathan, Part I
Yale - Leviathan, Part II
Yale - Leviathan, Part III