The commonwealth is created through a social contract from "summary" of Hobbes: Leviathan by Thomas Hobbes
To understand the formation of a commonwealth, one must first consider the nature of man in a state of nature. In this state, every individual has a right to everything, which leads to a constant state of war. Life becomes solitary, poor, nasty, brutish, and short. The state of nature is a state of perpetual conflict, where every man is a potential threat to every other man. To escape this state of war, individuals come together and agree to create a commonwealth. This agreement forms a social contract, where individuals transfer their rights to a sovereign authority. In doing so, they establish a common power that will protect them from external threats and maintain peace and security within the commonwealth. The sovereign authority, whether it be a monarch or a democracy, is entrusted with the power to make and enforce laws for the common good of the people. In return, the individuals within the commonwealth agree to obey these laws and relinquish their right to challenge the authority of the sovereign. This mutual agreement forms the basis of a stable society, where individuals are protected by the common power of the sovereign. The social contract that creates the commonwealth is not a one-time event but an ongoing process. As long as individuals continue to live within the commonwealth, they are bound by the terms of the social contract. Any attempt to challenge the authority of the sovereign or undermine the laws of the commonwealth is a violation of the social contract and threatens the stability of society.- The commonwealth is created through a social contract in which individuals agree to transfer their rights to a sovereign authority in exchange for protection and security. This agreement forms the basis of a stable society where individuals live together peacefully under the authority of the sovereign.
Similar Posts
The covenant between citizens and the sovereign is binding
In the state of nature, individuals are in a constant state of war due to their self-interested and competitive nature. Life is...
International law
International law refers to the set of rules and norms that govern the behavior of states in their interactions with one anothe...
Collective decisionmaking ensures fairness
In society, individuals must come together to make decisions for the common good. Collective decision-making is necessary to en...
The commonwealth is a unified entity under the sovereign's rule
In a commonwealth, the multitude is united in one person, or at least in one assembly of one person, called a sovereign. This s...
Rise of nonstate actors in international politics
The rise of nonstate actors in international politics is a phenomenon that has fundamentally transformed the way in which state...
Conflict and cooperation shape international relations
Throughout history, interactions between different societies have been characterized by a mixture of conflict and cooperation. ...