Kerime Toprak

21301478
PHIL 244-4 Essay 1

Powerful and Controllable Sovereign

According to Hobbes doctrine natural condition of mankind is not secure. Because the
mankind self centered and all humans ae equal. Equality causes diffidence between people.
(1998, p.183) If any two men desire same thing which nevertheless they can not both enjoy,
they become enemies Moreover, Hobbes claim that mankind is self centered. As a
consequence of these, each man is an enemy for another. Laws of nature are not enough to
provide peace. Because of that, there should be a sovereign which have supreme and
dictotarial powers. His power can not divide and transfer another and subjects can not change
the sovereign in Hobbes doctrine. Namely, he does not foresee a controllable sovereign. Not
totally but mostly I agree Hobbes doctrine due to provide peace, sovereign should have
supreme power. However this power can not avoid audit. If there is not audit mechanism te
powerful sovereign, he can misuse their rights. Because of that more fearful situation can
emerges. Subjects can want to provide their own justice and can rebel to sovereign. Such a
situtation, sovereign will use military power and he will kill his subjects. These is more fearful
condition for mankind.

State of nature is not as bad as Hobbes' doctrine but a leader which have supreme and
dictotarial power is a necessity for solve problems and provide peaceful social context .
Because the subjects can not avoid diffidence and dangerous. Peace is a word which means
there is not war or conflict. According to Hobbes, a man can not prefer others to himself such
that he has a famous sentence which (1998, p.183) Homo homini lipus this mean is a man
wolf to another man. In Leviathan he says : in the nature of man, we find three principal
causes of quarrel. First, competition; secondly, diffidence; thirdly, glory (p.185) Therefore
nature of human have causes of war and conflict. Although in nature of human have really
good charecteristics as compensate, justice and devoted, human have charectheristics which
Hobbes' mention. If human nature has not social charectheristic, he does not do any
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Kerime Toprak
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PHIL 244-4 Essay 1

benevolence without act. For instance, person can help another, they can donate their own
properties, though there is no sovereign pressure. However, to establish peaceful social
context these benevolence is not enough. There is two way for peace: All people should have
perfect charecteristics or all evils should punish and people should fear punishments. First of
them is an utopia. Mankind can not perfect. They can be self centered, they can make
mistakes. Therefore, human has necessity to a state which give punishments and provide
justice, although they are not as anti- social as Hobbes' doctrine.
States are established for provide peace and being away fears according to Hobbes
doctrine. He says that themselves out from that miserable condition of war which is
necessarily consequent . (p.223) when he explain establishment of commonwealth. If you
want to feel in security, you should know, all attacks which against you will stop by someone.
Namely, the covenant which between sovereign and subjects endure to this desire of being
away from fear. All people gave their will and power to sovereign to concern safety and peace
. Therefore, the public assumes that the state will stop all attacks. Because of that the
sovereign should have authority. As Hobbes mentioned covenants, without the sword, are
but words and of no strength to secure a man at all (p.223) Swords is not demonstrate only
military it shows us generally power. When a state is governed, there emerges a lot of power.
Judge, jurisdiction and executive is the main of them . Hobbes' doctrine says that these power
should be owned a person. (1998, p. 230) I agree him because each person represent some
mistake. When other people which have power, sovereign should work for fix their mistakes.
The sovereign can also do mistakes but he is only one person. The sovereign should have the
a lot of rights and power but we should explain what establishes this power. Some of this
power is: To remove the state, subjects should take permission from sovereign. Because they
give their hegemony to sovereign, so the hegemony is owned to sovereign. Sovereign can not

Kerime Toprak
21301478
PHIL 244-4 Essay 1

be punished. Moreover , decision of war and peace are took by sovereign. Especially, these
powers has an important role to establish a strong state. Therefore the authority, obedience of
subjects, become more strong when sovereign had supreme and dictotarial power. However,
sometimes sovereign can be found unjust by subjects. Due to they knowledge about the rules
which prohibit the all ways to reject these unjust applications, subjects can try to rebelling and
revolution. In these condition, sovereign will want to use military against his public. There
will bloody consequences of this condition.
Although I support Hobbes' model in government system, I have an objection.
Sovereign can be a mis preference for subjects or he can default on his responsibilities. He
can also misuse their power, as an actual example Assad bombs his public by his powers
which he took from public. If these probabilities are taken care, a control mechanism is a
necessity for all state. The sovereign can be powerful but it should not be unquestionable. A
control mechanism triggers monarch's justice. Otherwise, leaders can forgot their
responsibility public. Uncontrollable power can use to ruin someone all government types.
When the auditors are chosen, the system should be democratic. Elections are had importance
in these type of system. By the this way, subjects can live more secure and they do not rebel
attempt. There emerges a question: Who will control the controllers? By using an idiom we
can ask this question like that Who will control watchmen? Unfourtaunately, a controller
chain can not established because a controller which has not mistake is not possible. However
, the person who have supreme power had to be controlled.
Consequently, human nature is not appropriate to provide security wthout supreme
power. The people have limited resources. They desire same materials however some of
them can not attain. Because of these diffidence they have necessity a sovereign. Sovereign
should has power to provide a peaceful social context. According to some philosophers these
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Kerime Toprak
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PHIL 244-4 Essay 1

power should divide to different organs. In my opinion, Hobbes doctrine is more acceptable
from others. He established a powerful state to save the peace not only other countries but
also internal traitors. However, Hobbes' theory has an important lacking that he does not
consider about sovereign. There are important examples which countries have to enter war
because of the sovereigns' irresponsibilities and traitorties. In addition to Hobbes' doctrine
about state, there should be a control mechanism. Solely, the peaceful social context can
establish and the sovereign can bound to juastice. When the stability is provided human rights
can also be in safety.

Kerime Toprak
21301478
PHIL 244-4 Essay 1

References
Hobbes, Thomas, and C.B Macpherson, Leviathan, Gharmondsworth, Eng: Penguin,
1986, Print.