1. Kajsa Hallberg Adu Spring 2012
Social Theory, L7
Kajsa Hallberg Adu
Spring 2012
Meeting twice a week for lectures and on Friday’s for discussion
For you who do not know me…

2. Social Theory, Spring 2012. Kajsa Hallberg Adu
Pictoral representation
Biblical – Job’s book
Sea monster
Crocodile like dragon with fire coming out of its mouth
Strange model?
Social Theory, Spring Kajsa Hallberg Adu

3. Social Theory, Spring 2012. Kajsa Hallberg Adu
Metaphor
Huge man made up by 1000’s of smaller people
Towers over a well ordered city
Church is small next to this giant
Sward on one hand sceptre in other
MORTAL God (made up by mortals)
Social Theory, Spring Kajsa Hallberg Adu

4. Social Theory, Spring 2012. Kajsa Hallberg Adu
Leviathan
Of Man
Of Commonwealth
Of a Christian Commonwealth
Of the Kingdom of Darknesse
The first two are more read, the excerpts come from them and deal with nature of law and sovereignty
Social Theory, Spring Kajsa Hallberg Adu

5. Social Theory, Spring 2012. Kajsa Hallberg Adu
Thomas Hobbes
*1588 Born in Wiltshire 1647 Moves to France 1649 King of England executed 1651 Publishes Leviathan 1679 Dies in Derbyshire
Lived after Machiavelli (1527), but before Rousseau
Enlightebnment era
Great turmoil in europe
30 year war
Social Theory, Spring Kajsa Hallberg Adu

6. Hobbes Laws of nature: “Seek peace whenever possible”
State of nature: “solitary, poor, nasty, brutish, and short”
Rational men social contract, p 50
Security is not for free
No balance between rights and obligations
Freedom and security
Conflict selfpreservation and quest for power…only be solved with our minds
With its help get into the minds of others
Rationally aim to sign a social contract trading freedom for security
Social Theory, Spring Kajsa Hallberg Adu

7. Social Theory, Spring 2012. Kajsa Hallberg Adu
The Social Contract
State of nature
Commonwealth
Sovereign
Consent and Obligation
Hobbes saw the state of nature as a war all against all, hence the rational thing to do was to enter into a social contract of coming together in a commonwealth.
Rousseau later used these ideas to develop his social contract theory
Social Theory, Spring Kajsa Hallberg Adu

8. Social Theory, Spring 2012. Kajsa Hallberg Adu
Absolute Sovereign
Absolute power Censorship Limit – death, hurting yourself etc.
If power is not absloute, there will be a possibility of dangerous competition arising ; war of all against all
Social Theory, Spring Kajsa Hallberg Adu

9. 1. What are Hobbes key concepts?
2. What critiques can you think of against Leviathan?
Social Theory, Spring Kajsa Hallberg Adu

10. What are Hobbes key concepts?
The State of Nature
Laws of nature
The social contract
The sovereign
Social contract
State of nature
Law of nature
Commonwealth
Monarchy
Tyranny
Natural force
Separation Church and State ; taking power away from plurality of organizations (or in realirty, the Church of England)
Absolute power
Social Theory, Spring Kajsa Hallberg Adu

11. Social Theory, Spring 2012. Kajsa Hallberg Adu
Idealism/Realism
Knowledge
Human nature
State of Nature
Government solution
Societal problems?
Scientific-empiric
Social Theory, Spring Kajsa Hallberg Adu

12. Haiti – Hobbes’ state of nature?
A 7.0 magnitude earthquake which struck Haiti on Tuesday January 12, The earthquakes epicentre was about 15km south-west of the capital Port-au-Prince, and there were two strong aftershocks of 5.9 and 5.5 magnitude. Aid efforts are underway, but many remain missing, injured, and without homes. Haiti was already the poorest country in the western hemisphere. The Red Cross estimated that up to 3 million people have been affected people might have been killed.
4500 inmates escaped when prisons collapsed.
29th of Jan
A looter leaves a store
Social Theory, Spring Kajsa Hallberg Adu