Freedom and ‘brute reality’

Some of us have heard of Thomas Hobbes who was an eminent English philosopher. Others are familiar with his masterpiece Leviathan which laid the foundation for western political thought. As a philosopher, Hobbes revealed the darker side of human nature and the value of authority. He also taught us how to flourish and how to live fearlessly.

Some people hate Hobbes because he said that by nature we are at war with each other. He emphasised the need for an authoritarian government to terrify us into submission. Simply because of such far-fetched views, can we reject Hobbes’ views in toto? Certainly not.

Leviathan should be compulsory reading because it compels us to take note of his philosophy. He was right when he said that we are at war with each other. This does not mean that we are always fighting with our colleagues or neighbours. Hobbes was referring to a kind of psychological war that is raging every minute in our life. The tragedy is that we are unaware that we are psychologically at war with ourselves and our fellowmen.

Politicians

We treasure our freedom of speech and movement. However, we also agree to be ruled by a set of politicians who lay down the rules. The government through its judiciary punishes wrongdoers. The convicts go to prison and lose their freedom of movement. They are kept away from their kith and kin. Sometimes, certain countries execute prisoners convicted of murder. And civilised societies approve such ‘judicial killings.’ Why do we allow ourselves to be ruled by others and lose our freedom?

Thomas Hobbes: It is in our nature to be at war with each other... we need an all-powerful government to terrify us into submission.

Hobbes gives us the reason. We allow ourselves to be ruled because it is in our own interests. Think for a moment that we are living in a country sans law enforcement authorities. In such a country, nobody will be able to walk along the streets or go to work because thugs, robbers and killers would be lurking in every nook and corner. Today we go about freely thanks to law enforcement authorities. Wrongdoers know that the long arm of the law will apprehend them.

Today, thanks to the legislature, judiciary and executive, people enjoy their freedom to a great extent. Apart from the freedom of movement and speech, almost all human activities such as selling a plot of land, accepting a job offer or owning a vehicle are governed by different codes of law. If we did not have such legal safeguards, the whole society would disintegrate.

Anarchists

As the first great social contract theorist, Hobbes shows us why we consent to be governed by a set of rulers when there are people who do not like any form of government. They are known as anarchists. They do not want institutions such as parliament, judiciary and law enforcement authorities. Luckily, such people belong to a negligible minority.

In a democratic country, people elect their representatives through the ballot. Sometimes, the people soon realise that they have not elected the right people to govern them. However, people need some form of government even if it is imperfect. Hobbes called it the people’s tacit consent to be ruled.

Hobbes knew that people are animals and sometimes the law of the jungle seems to be in operation. For instance, some private bus drivers have no regard for pedestrians. Although they should allow pedestrians to cross the road using zebra crossings, the drivers do not do so. As a result, many accidents and deaths have occurred at pedestrian crossings.

Hobbes saw this as the ‘brute reality’ operating in society. We want to be ruled and sometimes we have to bow down to brute reality. Some bus conductors, lawyers and businessmen fleece their customers. The law enforcement authorities are aware of such improper activities. However, in almost every part of the world brute realities go unchecked.

Hobbes’ philosophy is relevant even today. When we complain about the government, we should be aware of anarchy that might be worse than corrupt politicians. So, those who wish to retain their sanity should dig into Hobbes’ philosophy because there is gold in it!