Of Liberty or Equality

In the words of late economist Milton Friedman, "...a society that aims for equality before liberty will end up with neither equality nor liberty...a society that aims first for liberty will not end up with equality, but will end up with a closer approach to equality than any kind of system developed" . In his time, and the times long before his, society has been faced with the perplexing dilemma, which should be pursued for the betterment of their respective citizenries, individual liberty, or universal equality? Some claim that the two are incompatible with each other, while others claim that they are inherently dependent on one another. For historically renowned political philosopher Thomas Hobbes, man can and has, possessed both. But which of these did Hobbes emphasize to be the more important of the two? Surely Hobbes would have preferred one of these [liberty or equality] concepts over the other if man could only pursue one. In this paper I will argue that the principle of liberty is of more importance to Hobbes than that of equality. To prove this, I will explore a few key underlying concepts which serve as some of the foundation to Thomas Hobbes' general philosopher, which can be found within his most notable work, Leviathan. Some of the points which I will be exploring are as follows: Hobbes' view on the state of nature, man's status under a sovereign authority, and the inherent natural rights of man.

Those who have a general understanding of Thomas Hobbes would probably never associate Hobbes with advocating any human virtue or ideal that involved, or would be directly related to, individual liberty and/or universal equality. Although Hobbes was very much an authoritarian thinker, he did not believe that mans only intended purpose in life was to be dominated by the indomitable will and command of a ruler. In fact, Hobbes fundamentally believed that there should be an existence of rights and liberties to which man is undoubtedly entitled , and that the sovereign in which man inevitably comes to live under during his existence should continue to preserve and guarantee certain rights to each individual subject , such as the right to life and self-preservation.

Hobbes advocates for both equality and liberty, however, it is my opinion that one could put forward the assertion that Hobbes is more of a proponent of liberty, rather than equality. The theme of individual liberty is a reoccurring concept in Hobbes' Leviathan, a concept which Hobbes explores in detail. One notable mention of this can be found in the thirteenth chapter of Hobbes' Leviathan, in which Hobbes states that man is justified in pursuing what is in his best interest, so much so, that if another man is desiring the same thing as the other man, they have the natural right to compete against each other for it, even if this means, as Hobbes puts it so gently, "destroying" each other . Hobbes emphasized the ideas that within our natural state, human beings are to live independently of everyone else, acting only in his or her own self-interest, without regard for others . Hobbes espoused the general ideal that all individuals are brought into this world inherently free in the state nature, and that their actions are not under constraint from anyone else .

Although the end goal for man, according to Hobbes, is to submit themselves to an established sovereign authority which would essentially regard everyone under the authority of the sovereign as equal, that even within the jurisdiction of the sovereign, or the Leviathan, as Hobbes would call it, man is still entitled to certain rights and liberties outlined in established contracts and covenants between the subject and the sovereign, despite how restricted and limited those rights may be . When individuals come to terms with the Leviathan, and agree to give up some of their inherent rights and freedoms in an attempt to obtain security, the state is allowed to 'do whatsoever he shall think necessary to be done, both beforehand, for the preserving of Peace and Security, by prevention of Discord at home and Hostility from abroad' . However, the individuals, or rather subjects at this point, are able to disobey commands or any action initiated by the Leviathan that would contradict and/or deny the inherent natural laws and rights given to individuals, such as if the sovereign would violate that individual's absolute right to life. As a result of this, the subject would be justified to resist the sovereign and declare the deal made between the two as void . This could also be the fact in other certain circumstances, such as when the sovereign is under attack and is thus unable to fulfill the contract between itself and its intended subjects .

The next point to consider is with respect to Hobbes' inherent laws of nature. When looking at the laws of nature outlined by Hobbes in chapter thirteen of his Leviathan, one can pick up on the general and intended principle of importance being espoused by them--the principle of rights; the right to self-preservation, to justice , and the right to purse one's life of liberty . Hobbes even suggests that these rights themselves are essentially liberties which all men are entitled to, both within the state of nature , and as aforementioned earlier, to some extent while under the protection of the sovereign via its own discretion. At any point in our lives, if the protection of a sovereign is absent, and man is in his state of nature, a state in which everything is in a free-fall, the only factor which is defending man is his own right to self-preservation and the pursuit of his self-interest as declared by Hobbes .

As mentioned earlier, Hobbes believed that men were inherently equal to one another within the state of nature, however, despite this status