CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
1.1THE BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY
This study is an attempt to examine the idea of the Leviathan in Thomas Hobbes political philosophy. Before we discuss his philosophy of society we need to know what was happening before he came.
There Was the problem of the excessive use of power in the society.One could rule in as much as he commanded obedience from others by the use of brute power and force. This led to conflict and self-centeredness among humans.
An attempt to escape from the above crisis led Hobbes to postulate a common wealth or the state as a platform for organizing human beings or what he called the Leviathan. The idea of the Leviathan aimed at providing a means by which men can overcome the disorder in the natural state.The people needed the state of nature, to fashion a contract, giving all their power to one man who becomes the sovereign.
From the above, the research question is this; Is the Leviathan construed either as a ruler or a State able to solve the problem of insecurity, self-centeredness and the egoism in the nature of man? Will the absolute power embedded in a Leviathan not lead to tyranny and abuses? These are some of the issues that this study intends to look into critically.
1.2STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM
The problem of this study can be put in question form:
Is the Leviathan immune to the egoistic nature of man which he has been chosen to guard against? Can the chaos and conflict which exists on the state of nature be eliminated with the institution of the common wealth? How does the Leviathan intend to tackle the problem of behaviorism and human nature which is egoistic and self-centered in order to ensure a peaceful human society wherein people will be law abiding? Will the absolute power embedded in the sovereign not lead to tyranny, totalitarianism and abuse? This project work tries to tackle some of these questions.