POLI 232 Chapter Notes -Thomas Hobbes

• School: McGill University
• Department: Political Science
• Course: POLI 232
• Professor: Catherine Lu

Document Summary

Hobbes defines freedom as anything free of external impediments. Following this rule, the state of nature is one in which we are free to perform any actions without external impediments, insofar as they are within our power. The social contract that members of a society agree to restricts power, in favour of a degree of certainty, and incentivizes production and forward movement. It does not physically, to my understanding, apply external impediments, but rather affects how beneficial the use of power outside the law would be.