Hobbes’ contractarianism/monarchism

Power
•	“the means to obtain some future apparent good” (505).
•	Original/natural versus instrumental
•	Greatest human powers compounded  many people’s powers combined
•	All humans desire more power both to improve and to maintain (quality of) life

Natural equality of ability
•	Physical
•	Intellectual
•	Equality of ability  equality of hope of attaining one’s ends
•	Everyone a potential enemy everyone has the right to increase power – preemptive self-defence

State of nature
•	3 causes of quarrel:  competition, diffidence, glory
•	war:  this state over time
•	5-8:  “nasty, brutish and short”
•	an idealization but some empirical evidence – certain cultures, but also locking doors, carrying arms, etc., also comportment of countries toward others

Right/wrong; justice/injustice
•	artifactual, conventional, not natural.  These “relate to men in society, not in solitude” (509).
•	State of war  everyone has a right to whatever he can get

Covenant  
•	See 509
•	In exchange for safety, people give up liberty, make a covenant (social contract)  form commonwealth
•	A real unity (Leviathan)

Sovereign
•	A visible power necessary to maintain covenant.  
•	Difference between commonwealths consists in difference in sovereign:  monarchy, aristocracy, democracy.
•	Why monarchy best?  No gap between private and public interest for sovereign.