Please write on one (and only one) of these two topics. Make sure that you complete all
parts of whatever topic you choose. In chapter xiii of Leviathan, Hobbes argues that the state of nature is a state of
war.
a. Explain what it means to say that the state of nature is a state of war.
(Hint: Look at I.xiii.8).
b. Explain Hobbes’s argument for this claim.
c. Give an objection to Hobbes’s argument and either explain why the
objection is a good objection, or explain how Hobbes can deal with
your objection. Make sure that your objection is an objection to the
argument, not merely an objection to the conclusion.
2. A worry: Hobbes argues that a covenant made in the state of nature is void if
there is any reasonable suspicion that the second party will not perform
(I.xiv.18). In the state of nature, there is always such a reasonable suspicion.
Hobbes also thinks that it is possible for people in the state of nature to
establish a sovereign by institution (II.xviii.1). This can happen only if people
in the state of nature somehow make a contract that is not void.
a. Explain Hobbes’s reasons for thinking that in the state of nature, a
covenant is not binding on the person who is supposed to perform
first.
b. How might Hobbes respond to the worry? (Hint: it may help to look at
the laws of nature. It may also help to look at the discussion of the
Fool in I.xv.4-5.)
c. Is this response to the worry adequate? Why or why not?
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