Hobbes, Humanity, and Being

In Thomas Hobbes Leviathan, the reader is directed to a somewhat negative world view --where by the default presupposition is that the natural state of the world involves wickedness, selfishness, and cruelty. His contribution to philosophical discourse is attributed to his development of the social contract theory and the position that the life of man is solitary, poor, nasty, brutish, and short. Although he is known for this philosophical position, he's also contributed to newer conceptions of human ontology and political community.

Hobbes notes (Leviathan 14) that we define reason in our ability to demonstrate our reckonings to other men".  The faculties of the mind ought to be co-determined in conjunction with the thoughts of ones peers and ones intellectual community. By default, he suggests that the very nature of reason exists to provide significance to abstract concepts and reason is a dynamic process. Thus the attainment of reason is done so by an iterative process of communal attunement through lived experiences. He highlights that, "Children are not endued with reason at all until they have attained the use of speech. So, for Hobbes communication and the human body are necessary functions for the progress of humanity with essential properties. By Nature the human body has properties of sight, sound, thought "ideas in the fancy" pg 11. General speech, interrogation, commandment, Narration, Sermon, Oration, and Syllogism. There is also a conceptual difference between significant and insignificant speech. Hobbes inveighs against the idea of dualism, transubstantiation, and spirits; these are considered insignificant speech. The obvious nature of enlightenment thinking is immediately evident in his first chapters, which makes it understandable that


Although he touches on many other noteworthy functions of society to include: sovereignty, accountability, Human error, and social contracts; I find his conception of self interest and institutions particularly intriguing. The way in which he addresses empiricism is not that much different from other philosophers during that time. Through Hobbes we've come to understand that humans have social and physical interactions, but the emphasis on personal rights, institutions, and authority are important foundational concepts to the enlightenment period.