Leviathan and the modern.

Leviathan is a challenging read and I think that part of what confounded me is what sounds to the modern reader like a disconnect between Hobbes’ insistence on the use of reason and rational thought, and his assuredness in Christian belief and practice.(XII) His distinction between Gentiles and Christians (who have a revealed truth) does not fit my perception of an intellect engaged in the Enlightenment project of utilizing reason and observation. However, as Professor Jackson mentioned in his opening lecture, Hobbes is an early thinker in the Enlightenment, the leap from Christianity to even Deism might have been too much. Hobbes also makes reference to the Reformation and the corruption of the Catholic church. Yet while he is willing to acknowledge where the church might have stumbled, he is not willing to question the authority of the church to convey legitimacy on temporal rulers. (pg 68) Maybe it is too early in history to question the legitimacy of the Church. I am just not clear if Hobbes sees the Church/Christianity as useful, if he is a true believer, or if it is not safe to hold Church doctrine up to the same scrutiny he applies in chapters I-IX.

But Hobbes also strikes a discordant note with my conception of the Enlightenment in XVIII as he defines the rights and obligations of the individuals in the Common-wealth. The people cannot “cast off Monarchy.. if they depose him…it is an injustice.” It is not only unjust but also “…vile, and unmanly” to attempt to break a covenant with a Soveraign in order to make a new covenant with God. Hobbes goes on to denounce the concept of a ruler’s legitimacy based on the ongoing consent of the governed, he brushes off the rights of the minority, he dismisses the notion of the Soveraign being held accountable by the subjects. The Soveraign is expected to exercise prior restraint on publishing books.

Yet, we can also see that the intent of Hobbes is to create a climate that removes humanity from the tyranny of state of nature. Perhaps the Leviathan is a necessary concession to human nature. (“If men were angels, government would not be necessary.”) But men are not angels, and as men decide to give their power to a Soveraign they are better served by allowing him to have absolute control.
There can be no checks and balances of the “Essence of Soveraignty.” Hobbes quotes the bible, “a Kingdome divided in it selfe cannot stand”. I wonder if Lincoln had Hobbes in mind when he used a similar quote?