In analyzing the foundations of human behavior, Thomas Hobbes’ Leviathan, establishes a basis for what he considers a secure, harmonious commonwealth. Reason, by adding and subtracting consequences, offers a fundamental reordering of man’s passions and fears, placing self-preservation as man’s greatest desire and the threat of violent death as man’s greatest fear. In turn, Reason allows man to control and direct his passions. This process is critical to help define the goals of politics and pinpoint the biggest threats to political peace. By means of aversion, man’s appetites, and a sovereign power, Thomas Hobbes scientifically reveals the method in which self-interested individuals use Reason, by means of self-preservation and fear of violent
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These characteristics assist his exploration of man’s behavior and the profound forces that direct him. Subsequently, Hobbes aspires to exploit these to create an efficient and just commonwealth. Leviathan opens with Hobbes dissecting man’s thought process. A particular impression, deriving from an “external body, or object, which presseth the organ proper to each sense, either immediately, as in the taste and touch, or mediately, as in seeing, hearing and smelling” is the source for what man terms “sense.” For Hobbes, sensation is a natural, a vital and automatic behavior of the body that originates with external sensations that are then transmitted to the brain. Thus, when Hobbes asserts, “dependence upon one another” he means that a man’s thought process stems from a single thought that evolves into a train of thoughts. Ultimately, man’s train of thought transforms as experience and imagination complicates Hobbes’ dissection of man’s thought process. Hobbes characterizes the practice of Reason mathematically, as an adding and subtracting of consequences, resulting in a series of contingencies about a certain the action. Man’s memories are blended with the external sensations from his environment, and generate conclusions that are determined by …show more content…
Hobbes in identifying the three causes of quarrel, states that Glory is “for Reputation… [and]…for trifles, as a word, a smile, a different opinion, and any other sign of undervalue, either direct in their persons, or by reflection in their kindred, their friends, their nation, their profession, or their name.” At first glance, it appears as though Hobbes’ definition of Reason stumbles upon a problem when it comes to man. Yet, Glory, if viewed through a different lens, can be advantageous to the self-interested man in the State of
These characteristics assist his exploration of man’s behavior and the profound forces that direct him. Subsequently, Hobbes aspires to exploit these to create an efficient and just commonwealth. Leviathan opens with Hobbes dissecting man’s thought process. A particular impression, deriving from an “external body, or object, which presseth the organ proper to each sense, either immediately, as in the taste and touch, or mediately, as in seeing, hearing and smelling” is the source for what man terms “sense.” For Hobbes, sensation is a natural, a vital and automatic behavior of the body that originates with external sensations that are then transmitted to the brain. Thus, when Hobbes asserts, “dependence upon one another” he means that a man’s thought process stems from a single thought that evolves into a train of thoughts. Ultimately, man’s train of thought transforms as experience and imagination complicates Hobbes’ dissection of man’s thought process. Hobbes characterizes the practice of Reason mathematically, as an adding and subtracting of consequences, resulting in a series of contingencies about a certain the action. Man’s memories are blended with the external sensations from his environment, and generate conclusions that are determined by …show more content…
Hobbes in identifying the three causes of quarrel, states that Glory is “for Reputation… [and]…for trifles, as a word, a smile, a different opinion, and any other sign of undervalue, either direct in their persons, or by reflection in their kindred, their friends, their nation, their profession, or their name.” At first glance, it appears as though Hobbes’ definition of Reason stumbles upon a problem when it comes to man. Yet, Glory, if viewed through a different lens, can be advantageous to the self-interested man in the State of