Parte II y III de las Conferencias sobre Hobbes

Aqui las partes II y III de las Conferencias sobre Hobbes del profesor Steven Smith en Open Yale Courses

Parte II. El Estado de Naturaleza

Hobbes' most famous metaphor, that of "the state of nature," is explained. It can be understood as the condition of human life in the absence of authority or anyone to impose rules, laws, and order. The concept of the individual is also discussed on Hobbesian terms, according to which the fundamental characteristics of the human beings are the capacity to exercise will and the ability to choose. Hobbes, as a moralist, concludes that the laws of nature, or "precepts of reason," forbid us from doing anything destructive in life.

Parte III. El concepto de soberanía del Estado.

The concept of sovereignty is discussed in Hobbesian terms. For Hobbes, "the sovereign" is an office rather than a person, and can be characterized by what we have come to associate with executive power and executive authority. Hobbes' theories of laws are also addressed and the distinction he makes between "just laws" and "good laws." The lecture ends with a discussion of Hobbes' ideas in the context of the modern state.

El Leviathan de Hobbes - Open Yale Courses

En los "Open Yale Courses" el profesor Steven Smith explica en su curso de Introducción a la Filosofía política el pensamiento de Thomas Hobbes y en especial los aspectos más importantes de su obra El Leviatán (1651). Son 45 minutos de clase en donde usted puede escuchar los aspectos más importantes del autor inglés en una clase dictada en la Universidad de Yale en el otoño de 2006.

En el resumen del vídeo se indica que en el pensamiento de Hobbes se presenta la paradoja de sostener al mismo tiempo el absolutismo monárquico de la autoridad con la idea de igualdad de las personas humanas, además de destacar la teoría contractualista de Hobbes que establece que una vez se hace el pacto de asociación se otorgan todos los derechos al gobernante para garantizar la seguridad y la convivencia pacífica.

Aquí el resumen del video del profesor Steven Smith de Introducción a la Filosofía Política:

This is an introduction to the political views of Thomas Hobbes, which are often deemed paradoxical. On the one hand, Hobbes is a stern defender of political absolutism. The Hobbesian doctrine of sovereignty dictates complete monopoly of power within a given territory and over all institutions of civilian or ecclesiastical authority. On the other hand, Hobbes insists on the fundamental equality of human beings. He maintains that the state is a contract between individuals, that the sovereign owes his authority to the will of those he governs and is obliged to protect the interests of the governed by assuring civil peace and security. These ideas have been interpreted by some as indicative of liberal opposition to absolutism.

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