Thomas Hobbes

Thomas Hobbes shares similar characteristics with the Quaker Oats Man.

Thomas Hobbes was born in April of 1588 in Westport, Wiltshire, England. Abandoned by his father at a young age, this future political philosopher was then cared for by his wealthy uncle who provided the necessary funds for Hobbes’ Oxford University education. A linguist, a poet and a translator, Thomas’ reputation grew as he excelled. After Oxford, Hobbes served as a mathematical tutor to Charles II of the Cavendish family, which enabled him to have access to endless literary resources that would help him discover and explore the great scientific and philosophical minds of the time. Hobbes also went on to be a Classic Scholar authoring works such as De Corpore, De homine, De cive and most famously, Leviathon.

Hobbes was responsible for many contributions to philosophy but if we are to look at how his philosophy challenged and/or contributed to Christian faith it is his philosophy on the laws of nature we should look at. His philosophy of nature analyzed everything in terms of matter and motion. Hobbes thought “in the state of nature every person is and ought to be governed only by their own reason. Reason dictates that they seek peace, which yields the laws of nature, but it also allows them to use any means they believe will best preserve themselves.” (Reese, 1980, p.334) The laws of nature are a concept in the philosophy of science that continues to be contested. Hobbes didn’t hold God as the foundation of morality in his religious views but instead applied this philosophy to those outside the faith. For example, somebody outside the Christian faith can draw from their own reasoning the necessary foundation for morality. In Hobbes’ literary work, Leviathon, one of his motives was to support his views by saying that it lined up with scripture. Hobbes thought his philosophy offered people reason in the midst of confusion. It was Hugo Grotius’ outlook on natural law that Hobbes agreed with. Believing that the law was to set the limits in the midst of individuals pursuing their own goals. Hobbes’ views continued to be explained and taught well into the seventeenth century by both Protestant and Roman Catholic writers.

While Thomas’ view on the laws of nature remained central to the teachings in the Roman Catholic Church, it did not permeate into any other places. This belief that morality is congruent to following what the law says has made an enormous contribution to the Roman Catholic Christian faith. However, for the main stream Christian, this philosophy has challenged scripture such as Galatians 2:6. “…know that a person is not justified by the works of the law, but by faith in Jesus Christ. So we, too, have put our faith in Christ Jesus that we may be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the law, because by the works of the law no one will be justified.” (NIV). It also points to the fact that human law or natural law can sometimes be defined by human standards rather than godly values. We need to be careful as postmodernism pervades our culture and begins to dictate that there is no absolute morality or truth.