POLS 4020 PT 1 2023
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Kennesaw State University *
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4020
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Political Science
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Feb 20, 2024
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Political Philosophy: Hobbes to Nietzsche
POLS 4020 First Paper Assignment
Write a paper of 4-7 (double spaced) pages on one of the topics below. Your paper must be
typed or computer-printed (double-spaced), and is due in class on Thursday, October 5. This is
not a research paper, but rather should reflect your understanding of the text. Papers that are late
without an extension will suffer a grade reduction; if you think you will need an extension,
please talk to me about it by October 3. References to Leviathan
may be inserted directly into
your text by chapter and page number, for example: (Lev 19: 119).
1. Explain and evaluate Hobbes's argument that, in the absence of an absolute sovereign, men
will live in a state of war "of every man against every man." What are Hobbes's most important
assumptions in this argument? Does Hobbes's conclusion follow from his assumptions and
arguments? In particular, has Hobbes established that humans, without a sovereign, must
exist
in the extreme state of war he describes? If you are critical of Hobbes's argument, be sure to be
explicit about the specific basis of your criticism(s).
2. Explain and evaluate Hobbes's argument that reason requires the creation of an absolute
sovereign. What laws of nature ground this argument? Why must the sovereign's power be
absolute? If no one in a state of war will surrender his/her "right to everything" unless everyone
else does, how can the covenant to establish a commonwealth be achieved? 3. Why does Hobbes argue that the sovereign cannot violate the covenant establishing the
commonwealth? Why must the covenant be among
the subjects, and not between the sovereign
and the subjects? Can the sovereign forfeit power by violating the covenant? By failing to
protect his subjects? What makes these two cases different? If the answer to either question is
yes, does this suggest a problem for Hobbes's view that the sovereign has the right and authority
to govern the opinions and beliefs of her subjects?
4. Hobbes argues against "attaining sovereignty by rebellion" (Lev 115: 92). But he also argues
that sovereignty can legitimately be acquired by conquest (Lev 20: 130-131). Are these claims
consistent? Is the argument for the legitimacy of commonwealth by acquisition supported by the
same logic which grounds the argument for commonwealth by institution? Explain and evaluate
the argument for commonwealth by acquisition. With whom do subjects covenant in
commonwealth by acquisition? How can the covenant between conqueror and conquered be
valid? What bad consequences might the legitimacy of commonwealth by acquisition have? 5. Is the civil war in Rwanda a good example of a Hobbesian decline into a state of war (a
decline generated entirely by individually rational choices)? Why or why not (you may argue
that Hobbes's model fits the case partially)? If the conflict is motivated by rational choice, rather
than by ethnic hostility, would that fact affect your recommendations for institutional reform to
defuse the conflict?
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