Hobbes's Argument for Why the State Is a Lesser Evil and Why We're Obligated to Obey It

What is it about?

Philosophers often theorize about perfect states, yet the ones typically found in the world prove far messier. They provide tremendously important goods, like peace and security, but also commit grave wrongs. Do such imperfect states have authority—in other words, do their inhabitants have an obligation to obey them? This article explains an overlooked argument by the philosopher Thomas Hobbes in response to that challenge—what we call his lesser evil argument for political authority. Hobbes frankly admits the state’s evils, but appeals to the significant disparity between those evils and the greater evils outside the state as a basis for its authority.

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Photo by Tim Alex on Unsplash

Photo by Tim Alex on Unsplash

Why is it important?

Hobbes's argument proves relevant for political philosophy today, given its increased emphasis on theories of politics that take into account the injustices and imperfections of our world. In addition, rather than ask if there's an obligation to obey an ideal state, Hobbes puts the focus on a question that individuals are far more likely to face: do we have an obligation to obey a state that provides the important good of security and commits grave wrongs?