EMPIRICISM
Thomas Hobbes (1588-1678) is one of the most important exponents of english empiricism, → empiricists think that every teories should be created from observation like in scientific method,rather than intuition and faith.
According to Locke and to empiricism he thinks that there are no innate ideas (contrasting with Cartesio’ theories ), he thought that our theories should be based on observation of the world rather than intuition or faith, that’s considered the basis of the scientific method.
Furthermore Hobbes is one of the first to assert the corporeality of everything, including god, he says that man, body,soul and also mind are matter.
Finally Hobbes thinks that animals are capable of reflecting but the reasoning they do don’t belong to the human culture sphere. And the real difference between man and animal is man’s ability to hold his ideas through writing.
- man = animal + reasoning
- animal = man – reasoning
RELIGION
There is no distinction between the laws of God and the laws of a Christian state: therefore no one can disobey the laws of his sovereign, as regards outward acts and the profession of religion. He does not ask subjects to believe, but to obey.
The only space of freedom of the individual is to form his or her own inner belief.
In Hobbes’ opinion each nation is a Church because the kingdom of God is a civil kingdom.
The sovereign could administer the sacraments,, excommunicate, but he does not: he limits himself to giving executive force to the sentences. That’s why for Hobbes the sovereign is not in contrast with these laws, but is superior to them: the power of the sovereign is the vicar of God
IDEAL STATE
For this reason Hobbes defines the leader as God on Earth. It doesn’t matter if there are more people in charge, but the important thing is that they share the same decisions. The leader only has to ensure the health and safety of the people. The goal of this solution is not happiness, but survival. The nature of man is to fight for survival, for this reason Hobbes considers men as wolves, summing up this concept with “homo homini lupus”.
Hobbes also stands out in political reflection placing himself as the first theorist of absolutism with his famous text: the Leviathan. Leviathan symbolically represents the state as a large body whose members are individual citizens. Hobbes compares to this monster the conception of his political model, which must be able to govern men and prevent them from destroying each other.
Leviathan is the fearful force capable of accomplishing this task.
Hobbes thinks that everything was a concession of the sovereign.
Due to the wild nature of man it must transfer all its rights to the sovereign by making a pact. The sovereign, however, cannot possess the right to life, which remains of man. If he breaks this covenant, he can be deposed.
