Student Number: 0801 2738 1 01 D PIR-10024

Power corrupts; absolute power corrupts absolutely;

Critically discuss with reference to Hobbes; social
contract theory.

The idea that “power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely” was
originated and developed by Lord John Dalberg-Acton. The statement refers to the
belief that any given individual’s sense of morals and morality decreases as their
power increases, thus making them more corrupt. Acton’s work preceded the earlier
conventions of Hobbes who had discussed religious and political obligation and is
most well renowned for his social contract theory. Power is simply defined as the
ability to make choices or influence decisions yet Hobbes identifies the lust for it as a
result of self-preservation and bettering oneself.

Hobbes expressed his ideas on the social contract and the origins of creation of an
ideal state in his 1651 publication, ‘Leviathan’. He explored the concept of
commonwealth, relating it to power and corruption, later focused on more directly by
Lord Acton. Hobbes maintained that social contract is a result of direct pragmatic
self-interest. He believed that humans in a state of nature gave up their individual
rights and liberties to enable absolute power in sovereignty. He believed that this was
held by the state, who subsequently gave the society who had surrendered their rights,
protection and a more functional and conventional society. Hobbes believed that all
humans were ultimately power hungry and acted in self interest and believed that
every individual was “a threat to others for natural resources”. Thus Hobbes’ ideas to
some extent backed up those of Acton. For Hobbes, power corrupts as all humans
desire it, and thus damages society and is fundamental in damaging the
aforementioned “natural resources”. Whilst Hobbes introduced the idea of social
contract, it was sufficiently improved by John Locke. Whilst both philosophers
maintained that the social contract was proposed as an “improvement of the state of
nature”, they held different views on the terms of social contract and what exactly the
state of nature was. Hobbes derived his argument for a social contract from the state
of war, having lived during the English Civil War. He believed that life was “short
and depressive” in a state of nature and in order to move away from this, all members
of society would have to surrender their liberties as mentioned to a ‘mortal God’.
Hobbes argued that as all members of society agreed on the terms of the social
contract to forfeit their rights and powers to the sovereign that the contract itself is
binding on all members of society but not the sovereign. The latter only accepts the
absolute power received as a result of the contract. However the implications are that
the sovereign as a result of holding “absolute power” becomes inevitably corrupt.
Locke’s contrasting social contrast ignores the absolute ruler that Hobbes identified
and instead set about a set of direct rules that were applicable to society as a whole
and thus don’t explore corruption as a result of power.

Hobbes’ ideas demonstrate a direct link between the nature of human greed and lust
for power. Hobbes’ consistency in philosophy for desire of personal gain and benefit
can be applied to all human actions despite the general sense of lack of faith in
mankind. For Hobbes, the desire for power alone lead to corruption, with greed being
a large part of this. Whilst it is difficult for a normal member of society to achieve
absolute power, unlike the sovereign, Hobbes linked this to absolute corruption just
like Acton mentioned in his famous quote. For Hobbes, if one held power, they would
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only desire further power and in already being corrupt would only develop into
becoming further corrupt or corrupt absolutely if they achieved absolute power.
Hobbes’ idea of self gain was highlighted in “Leviathan” by identifying the common
goal of mankind, “elimination of the oppressor”. Hobbes clearly doubts society in his
social contract and identifies all human motives as selfish even if it is subconscious.
For Hobbes every single action we undertake and ultimately everything we choose to
do is down motivated by the desire and greed to “better our own situations” and the
desire to satisfy “as many of our own individually considered desires as possible”. For
Thomas Hobbes we are ultimately only genuinely concerned selfishly and as a result
of this we head towards corruption as we aim to fulfil self wants.

Despite clearly maintaining that humans are selfish beings, Hobbes does credit society
with reason in that we have a certain “rational capacity” to fulfil desires to the greatest
extent possible and as “efficiently as possible”.

The state of nature which Hobbes explores is one where the want of security is not
achievable for any human and all individual’s lives are completely dominated by the
fear of death. For Hobbes, “reason teaches us that there are natural laws that dictate
how a society can guarantee peace” and it is one of these Natural Law’s which
highlight every person’s inherent right to do whatever it takes to ensure self
preservation.

Hobbes’ radical and conservative views reject the “Divine Right of Kings” expressed
by Robert Filmer, where he hold’s that God invests absolute power in the King. He
also similarly rejects ideas that power is shared between the elected democratic
Parliament and the King. He instead suggests that the Sovereign must hold absolute
power if society is to survive. He states that political authority and the obligation to
obey the sovereign of the state is still a result of individual self interest.

Ultimately Hobbes’ political theory is split into two sections, psychological egoism
and social contract, the latter which as mentioned is based on the hypothetical sense
of nature. We as human beings have a certain mechanistic characteristic according to
Hobbes’ subjective claims. For instance the words good and bad are completely
meaningless other than to describe vague desires. Thus such “moral terms” are mere
“reflections of individual” wants. In continuation of the belief that all men pursue
self-interest, Hobbes holds that man is attracted to desires and turned off by anything
that they are not inclined to undertake or not willing to do. Hobbes’ individualistic
approach emphasises Acton’s statement, society itself is corrupt if all are fighting in a
state of war to gain power.

Jean Jacques Rousseau further developed social contract but instead based it on
conceptions of popular sovereignty. Rousseau’s ideas reinforce the statement that
“absolute power corrupts absolutely”. Political power is placed entirely in the hands
of the people who belong to the state. Thus absolute power is maintained by society;
however society can become corrupt as a whole because of this.

Hobbes identifies four kinds of power; instrumental power, ceding power, relative
power, natural power. It is relative power which highlights a power struggle and
subsequent corruption with the rest of society. Hobbes highlights the fact that power
is only relative to the power of others. Thus each hunger even greater power than
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others and as a consequence, seek to gain the power of others in order to move above
them. For Hobbes, if person A has less power than person B, person A is completely
powerless in person B’s presence. Hobbes considers some members of society to fit in
the category of a “dysfunction” when they cannot get enough power and go out to use
other peoples in a corrupt world of disharmony and chaos. However those that accept
that we share power to escape corruption and an infinite spiral of decline use ceding
power. Ceded power links in with Hobbes’ “Leviathan” which cedes an individuals
power to the central authorities.

Natural power is one which Hobbes believes all humans obtain for ‘future apparent
good’. Such power relates to inner qualities such as prudence and physical build and
strength. Instrumental power highlight corruption as a result of power, as it is simply
the idea of gaining more power which includes finance, status and a name for oneself,
‘the value or worth of a man is, as of all other things, his price; that is to say, so much
as would be given for the use of his Power.’ This Hobbes’ quote illustrates man’s
desire for power and the corruptness that will result from it.

Thus in conclusion, Thomas Hobbes’ earlier works including that on social contract
emphasise Lord Acton’s famous quote. All humans for Hobbes seek to gain power
and in order to gain power; they aim to surpass that of fellow members of society
which consequently makes them corrupt. In a society which wasn’t corrupt, we would
instead work together for the benefit of society rather than for us as an individual and
we wouldn’t be selfishly power hungry. Hobbes’ beliefs have laid firm foundations
for the way we live in society and even some three hundred years later, have
relevance to the way we think. However his social contract, whether we choose to
obey it has significance to the governed state we live in, and consequently leads to the
state having “absolute power”, which leads to the state being corrupt. For Hobbes,
linking back to the state of nature, you cannot have true power without it being
absolute as others will only seek to better their power and not look up to it. Thus
through the social contract the sovereignty bears absolute power but as there is
nothing to counteract it in a governed society, it can lead to corruption. Although we
do not have to choose to obey the social contract, it is inevitable that it leads to
absolute power and corruption.
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Leviathan, Thomas Hobbes and C.B. MacPherson (Paperback - 24 Jul 2008),

(16/11/08)

http://everything2.com/title/Thomas%2520Hobbes (08/12/08)

http://changingminds.org/explanations/power/hobbes_power.htm (06/12/08)

http://www.orst.edu.instruct.ph1032/texts/hobbes/leviathan-contents/html (06/12/08)

http://www.sparknotes.com/philosophy/socialcontract (06/12/08)

http://www.angelfire.com/md2/timewarp/hobbes.html (07/12/08)