Morality in the philosophy of Thomas Hobbes : cases in the law of nature

In this book, S. A. Lloyd offers a radically new interpretation of Hobbes's laws of nature, revealing them to be not egoistic precepts of personal prudence but rather moral instructions for obtaining the common good. This account of Hobbes's moral philosophy stands in contrast to both divine command and rational choice interpretations. Drawing from the core notion of reciprocity, Lloyd explains Hobbes's system of "cases in the law of nature" and situates Hobbes's moral philosophy in the broader context of his political philosophy and views on religion. Offering ingenious new arguments, Lloyd defends a reciprocity interpretation of the laws of nature through which humanity's common good is secured. Half-title......Page 3 Title......Page 5 Copyright......Page 6 Dedication......Page 7 Contents......Page 9 Preface......Page 11 Introduction......Page 19 Part One: Moral Philosophy, Method and Matter......Page 29 1 Moral Judgments......Page 31 Reciprocity and the Right of Nature......Page 36 Reciprocity and the Duty to Submit to Government......Page 43 How Much Authority Must Be Public?......Page 45 Reciprocity and the True Liberties of Subjects......Page 46 Who Is the Legitimate Ruler?......Page 50 Reciprocity and the Duties of Sovereigns toward Subjects......Page 51 National Defense......Page 53 Domestic Peace......Page 54 Prosperity......Page 57 Liberty......Page 58 Doctrine and Religion......Page 62 Provision for the Future Good......Page 65 Reciprocity and Consensual Obligations......Page 67 The Laws of Nature......Page 70 2 Moral Judges: Human Nature and Motivation......Page 74 Self-Preservation......Page 78 The State of Nature and Natural Man......Page 91 Desire, Good, and Will......Page 96 The Complex Motivations of Hobbesian Agents......Page 103 Motivating Rebellion, Reason and the Desire for Self-Justification......Page 107 Part Two: From Psychology to Moral Philosophy......Page 113 3 The Law of Nature: Definition and Function......Page 115 Candidate Definitions......Page 117 The Strict Definition: What a Law of Nature Is......Page 119 Being and Being Called......Page 121 Doing, Being, and Being Called......Page 122 Being, and Being That by Which Something Else Is Achieved......Page 124 The Ultimate Function of the Laws of Nature......Page 128 Overt Text......Page 130 Clarifying and Motivating the Common Good Account......Page 132 An Argument for the Common Good Account from the Implausibility of the Alternative......Page 138 Hobbes's Specific Rationales for Specific Laws of Nature......Page 149 Sovereigns and the Laws of Nature......Page 152 The Sum of the Laws of Nature and a Telling Illustration......Page 155 An Intriguing Omission: The Puzzling Case of the Missing Virtues......Page 158 A Conceptual Argument for the Common Good Account......Page 161 The Final Law of Nature......Page 164 Constructive Reciprocity and Temptation......Page 166 4 A Critical Examination of Derivations of the Laws of Nature......Page 169 Traditional Desire-Based Derivations......Page 170 Step 1: Settling a Starting Assumption......Page 172 Steps 2, 3, and 4: Traditional Desire-Based Accounts......Page 178 Rule-Utility Versions of Desire-Based Derivations......Page 182 A Rule-Egoist Derivation of the Laws of Nature......Page 183 Objections to Argument One......Page 186 Argument Two......Page 189 Objections to Argument Two on Its Narrowly Textual Interpretation......Page 190 Objection to Argument Two on Its Optative Interpretation......Page 191 Rule-Egoism within Hobbes's Theory......Page 192 Objection That Hobbes's Right of Nature Becomes Otiose......Page 194 The Problem of Subjectivism......Page 198 Divine Command Derivations......Page 200 Gert's "Rationally Required End" Duty-Based Derivation......Page 203 Definitional Derivations of the Laws of Nature......Page 208 Distinguishing Definitional Derivations......Page 209 Deigh's Definitional Derivation of the Laws of Nature......Page 213 McNeilly's Definitional Derivation of the Laws of Nature......Page 224 5 The Reciprocity Interpretation of Hobbes's Moral Philosophy......Page 229 Overview of the Intuitive Argument......Page 230 Hobbes's Aim, Method, and the Substantive Assumptions They Dictate......Page 232 Phase 1: Derivation of the Law of Nature (the Reciprocity Theorem)......Page 237 Conflict over Action Description......Page 243 The Reasonable and the Rational......Page 248 The Reciprocity Theorem in the Context of Hobbes's Overall Political Argument......Page 252 Phase 2: From the Reciprocity Theorem to the Universal Right of Nature......Page 254 Phase 3: From the Universal Right of Nature to the Right of All to All......Page 258 Stage 2: From Perpetual War to the Fundamental Law of Nature......Page 259 Desire, Good, Will, and Power......Page 260 Stage Two......Page 264 Phase 5: From the Fundamental Law of Nature to the Obligation to Submit to Government (OSG)......Page 265 Law, Reason, and the Desire for Self-Justification......Page 266 Hobbes in the Social Contract Tradition......Page 270 Part Three: From Moral Philosophy to Civil Philosophy......Page 279 6 Self-Effacing Natural Law and the Duty to Submit to Government......Page 281 What Law Is......Page 284 How Natural Law Dictates That Submission to Political Authority That Grounds Positive Law......Page 286 The Third Law of Nature......Page 287 The Fundamental Law of Nature......Page 288 The Summary Formulation of the Laws of Nature......Page 291 Sovereign as Universal Authoritative Arbiter......Page 297 Textual Support for the Self-Effacing Interpretation of Hobbes's Natural Laws......Page 299 Liberty, Obligation, and Law......Page 307 7 Fools, Hypocrites, Zealots, and Dupes: Civic Character and Social Stability......Page 313 The Foole......Page 314 The Foole's Folly......Page 320 Hoekstra's Explicit Foole......Page 328 Prudence, Wisdom, and the Folly of Sedition......Page 335 Pride and Folly......Page 340 The Dupe......Page 344 The Zealot......Page 346 The Hypocrite......Page 347 A General Diagnosis of Destabilizing Characters, and a Prescription for Impeding Their Formation and Minimizing Their Effects......Page 349 Civic Education......Page 350 Mechanisms of Education......Page 353 Civic Education, Ideology, and Coercion......Page 355 8 The Unity of Practical Wisdom......Page 374 Religion and the Requirements of Moral and Civil Duty......Page 376 The Independence of Political Theory......Page 392 Contemporary Uses of Hobbes's Normative Philosophy......Page 394 a. Textual Inadequacy......Page 399 b. Conceptual Incoherence......Page 402 Bibliography......Page 429 Index......Page 433 Half-title 3 Title 5 Copyright 6 Dedication 7 Contents 9 Preface 11 Introduction 19 Part One: Moral Philosophy, Method and Matter 29 1 Moral Judgments 31 Reciprocity and the Right of Nature 36 Reciprocity and the Duty to Submit to Government 43 How Much Authority Must Be Public? 45 Reciprocity and the True Liberties of Subjects 46 Who Is the Legitimate Ruler? 50 Reciprocity and the Duties of Sovereigns toward Subjects 51 National Defense 53 Domestic Peace 54 Prosperity 57 Liberty 58 Doctrine and Religion 62 Provision for the Future Good 65 Reciprocity and Consensual Obligations 67 The Laws of Nature 70 2 Moral Judges: Human Nature and Motivation 74 Self-Preservation 78 The State of Nature and Natural Man 91 Desire, Good, and Will 96 The Complex Motivations of Hobbesian Agents 103 Motivating Rebellion, Reason and the Desire for Self-Justification 107 Part Two: From Psychology to Moral Philosophy 113 3 The Law of Nature: Definition and Function 115 Defining a Law of Nature 117 Candidate Definitions 117 The Strict Definition: What a Law of Nature Is 119 Being and Being Called 121 Doing, Being, and Being Called 122 Being, and Being That by Which Something Else Is Achieved 124 The Ultimate Function of the Laws of Nature 128 Overt Text 130 Clarifying and Motivating the Common Good Account 132 An Argument for the Common Good Account from the Implausibility of the Alternative 138 Hobbes's Specific Rationales for Specific Laws of Nature 149 Sovereigns and the Laws of Nature 152 The Sum of the Laws of Nature and a Telling Illustration 155 An Intriguing Omission: The Puzzling Case of the Missing Virtues 158 A Conceptual Argument for the Common Good Account 161 The Final Law of Nature 164 Constructive Reciprocity and Temptation 166 4 A Critical Examination of Derivations of the Laws of Nature 169 Desire-Based Derivations 170 Traditional Desire-Based Derivations 170 Step 1: Settling a Starting Assumption 172 Steps 2, 3, and 4: Traditional Desire-Based Accounts 178 Rule-Utility Versions of Desire-Based Derivations 182 A Rule-Egoist Derivation of the Laws of Nature 183 Argument One 186 Objections to Argument One 186 Argument Two 189 Objections to Argument Two on Its Narrowly Textual Interpretation 190 Objection to Argument Two on Its Optative Interpretation 191 Rule-Egoism within Hobbes's Theory 192 Objection That Hobbes's Right of Nature Becomes Otiose 194 The Problem of Subjectivism 198 Duty-Based Derivations of the Laws of Nature 200 Divine Command Derivations 200 Gert's "Rationally Required End" Duty-Based Derivation 203 Definitional Derivations of the Laws of Nature 208 Distinguishing Definitional Derivations 209 Deigh's Definitional Derivation of the Laws of Nature 213 McNeilly's Definitional Derivation of the Laws of Nature 224 5 The Reciprocity Interpretation of Hobbes's Moral Philosophy 229 Overview of the Intuitive Argument 230 Hobbes's Aim, Method, and the Substantive Assumptions They Dictate 232 The State of Nature Derivation of the Duty to Submit to Government 237 Phase 1: Derivation of the Law of Nature (the Reciprocity Theorem) 237 Conflict over Action Description 243 The Reasonable and the Rational 248 The Reciprocity Theorem in the Context of Hobbes's Overall Political Argument 252 The State of Nature Derivation of the Duty to Submit to Government 254 Phase 2: From the Reciprocity Theorem to the Universal Right of Nature 254 The State of Nature Derivation of the Duty to Submit to Government 258 Phase 3: From the Universal Right of Nature to the Right of All to All 258 The State of Nature Derivation of the Duty to Submit to Government 259 Phase 4: From the Right of All to All to the Fundamental Law of Nature 259 Stage 2: From Perpetual War to the Fundamental Law of Nature 259 Desire, Good, Will, and Power 260 Stage Two 264 The State of Nature Derivation of the Duty to Submit to Government 265 Phase 5: From the Fundamental Law of Nature to the Obligation to Submit to Government (OSG) 265 Law, Reason, and the Desire for Self-Justification 266 Hobbes in the Social Contract Tradition 270 Part Three: From Moral Philosophy to Civil Philosophy 279 6 Self-Effacing Natural Law and the Duty to Submit to Government 281 What Law Is 284 How Natural Law Dictates That Submission to Political Authority That Grounds Positive Law 286 The Third Law of Nature 287 The Fundamental Law of Nature 288 The Summary Formulation of the Laws of Nature 291 Sovereign as Universal Authoritative Arbiter 297 Textual Support for the Self-Effacing Interpretation of Hobbes's Natural Laws 299 Liberty, Obligation, and Law 307 7 Fools, Hypocrites, Zealots, and Dupes: Civic Character and Social Stability 313 The Foole 314 The Foole's Folly 320 Hoekstra's Explicit Foole 328 Prudence, Wisdom, and the Folly of Sedition 335 Pride and Folly 340 The Dupe 344 The Zealot 346 The Hypocrite 347 A General Diagnosis of Destabilizing Characters, and a Prescription for Impeding Their Formation and Minimizing Their Effects 349 Civic Education 350 Mechanisms of Education 353 Civic Education, Ideology, and Coercion 355 8 The Unity of Practical Wisdom 374 Religion and the Requirements of Moral and Civil Duty 376 The Independence of Political Theory 392 Contemporary Uses of Hobbes's Normative Philosophy 394 a. Textual Inadequacy 399 b. Conceptual Incoherence 402 Bibliography 429 Index 433 In this book, S. A. Lloyd provides a radical interpretation of Hobbes' laws of nature, revealing them to be not egoistic precepts of personal prudence but rather moral instructions for obtaining the common good. This account of Hobbes' moral philosophy stands in contrast to both divine command and rational choice interpretations. Drawing from the core notion of reciprocity, Lloyd explains Hobbes' system of 'cases in the law of nature' and situates Hobbes' moral philosophy in the broader context of his political philosophy and views on religion. Offering ingenious new arguments, Lloyd defends a reciprocity interpretation of the laws of nature through which humanity's common good is secured. In this book, S. A. Lloyd provides a radical interpretation of Hobbes' laws of nature, revealing them to be not egoistic precepts of personal prudence but rather moral instructions for obtaining the common good. Lloyd's reciprocity account of Hobbes' moral philosophy stands in contrast to both divine command and rational choice interpretations. S.A. Lloyd provides a radically new interpretation of Hobbes' laws of nature, revealing them to be not egoistic precepts of personal prudence but rather moral instructions for obtaining the common good. This account of Hobbes' moral philosophy stands in contrast to both divine command and rational choice interpretations