On Hobbes's Resistance Theory

The discussion of resistance has a profound history which can be traced back to Antigone and Socrates.From Antigone who insists taking legal action to against real King's command,to Socrates who would rather choose to die than break the law to run away and his magnificent debate,and to Rawls and Dworkin in modern times,the right of resistance has always been the central issue of political philosophy.Apart form these philosophers we mentioned,Hobbes,the founder of modern western political philosophy,has a theory of resistance which is full of innovative and intriguing account.He argues that people are not obligated to obey the laws of their political community in certain situations.Additionally,this right of resistance is not contrary to his absolute sovereignty,rather it is consistent with it.However,Hobbes' theory of resistance has been largely dismissed.In sum,there are three kinds of mistaken views:First,Hobbes is always characterized as a champion of absolute and his project is to embrace absolute sovereignty and advocate a prescription for virtually unconditional obedience to the will of the great Leviathan.Therefore,it is impossible for him to allow resistance.Second,even though Hobbes indeed made arguments about resistance,his thoughts of resistance is unclear and problematic.Last,if Hobbes acknowledges the right of resistance,then it is not consistent with his justification of political absolutism which is the fundamental philosophical and practical goals of his political theory.By analyzing Hobbes's text,we find that not only there is a rich thought of resistance in his theory,but also his way to justify resistance and deal with the relationship of resistance and absolute sovereignty is very innovating and intriguing.Once we put his resistance under the whole logic of his system,we can reasonably explain the relationship of resistance and absolute sovereignty.Therefore,by refuting the critics of Hobbes's resistance,Hobbes's political theory can be consistent.More importantly,Hobbes's resistance can be used to demonstrate that Hobbes really attached lots of concerns on individual rights and the limits of sovereign.Based on this,the critics of modern liberalism can be refuted and Hobbes can be proved to be an alliance of modern liberalism.