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BB Hobbes derives it's name from it's founders interest
in the work of the philosopher Thomas Hobbes, who studied
different forms of government as far back as 1651.
Here is a short bio of Thomas Hobbes.
Thomas Hobbes was born in London in 1588. He received
his college education at Oxford University in England,
where he studied classics. Hobbes travelled to other
European countries several times to meet with scientists
and to study different forms of government. During his
time outside of England, Hobbes became interested in
why people allowed themselves to be ruled and what would
be the best form of government for England. In 1651,
Hobbes wrote his most famous work, entitled Leviathan.
In it, he argued that people were naturally wicked and
could not be trusted to govern. Therefore, Hobbes believed
that an absolute monarchy - a government that gave all
power to a king or queen - was best.
Hobbes believed that humans were basically selfish
creatures who would do anything to better their position.
Left to themselves, he thought, people would act on
their evil impulses. According to Hobbes, people therefore
should not be trusted to make decisions on their own.
In addition, Hobbes felt that nations, like people,
were selfishly motivated. To Hobbes, each country was
in a constant battle for power and wealth. To prove
his point, Hobbes wrote, "If men are naturally in
a state of war, why do they always carry arms and why
do they have keys to lock their doors?"
Governments were created, according to Hobbes, to
protect people from their own selfishness and evil.
The best government was one that had the great power
of a leviathan, or sea monster. Hobbes believed in the
rule of a king because he felt a country needed an authority
figure to provide direction and leadership. Because
the people were only interested in promoting their own
self-interests, Hobbes believed democracy - allowing
citizens to vote for government leaders - would never
work. Hobbes wrote, "All mankind [is in] a perpetual
and restless desire for power... that [stops] only in
death." Consequently, giving power to the individual
would create a dangerous situation that would start
a "war of every man against every man" and make
life "solitary, poor, nasty, brutish, and short."
Despite his distrust of democracy, Hobbes believed
that a diverse group of representatives presenting the
problems of the common person would, hopefully, prevent
a king from being cruel and unfair. During Hobbes' lifetime,
business began to have a big influence on government.
Those who could contribute money to the government were
given great status, and business interests were very
powerful. In order to offset the growing power of business,
Hobbes believed that an individual could be heard in
government by authorizing a representative to speak
on their behalf. In fact, Hobbes came up with the phrase
"voice of the people," which meant that one person could
be chosen to represent a group with similar views. However,
this "voice" was merely heard and not necessarily listened
to - final decisions lay with the king.
It is interesting to view Hobbes philosophy today,
as the modern, Western world is largely the opposite
of his vision, although there are still many countries
in the world that follow the structure of one Monarch
or ruler - maybe they too share in the beliefs held
by Thomas Hobbes! Hobbes studies interested and intrigued
him until his death in 1679 as they continue to interest
and intrigue us still today.
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