Hobbes’s Self-Defeating Theory (opens in new tab)

Like it or not, for several centuries now, Hobbes’s nation-state concept has been the default paradigm and context for modern people whenever they think about government. Without having ever read Hobbes, people will unknowingly repeat his assumptions, presuppositions, concerns, and arguments for the state. Yet—with some simple logic and using Hobbes’s own presuppositions—we can internally critique Hobbes’s argument and see that his proposed solution of the state solves none of the problems he...