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Introduction:
In Chapter 21 of Leviathan, entitled “Of the Liberty of Subjects,” author Thomas Hobbes argues that a subject may rightfully refuse “to kill, wound, or mayme himself; or not to resist those that assault him” even if he is so commanded by the sovereign. ...
While recognizing that the authority of the sovereign must be absolute, Hobbes reconciles this argument with a counter-argument in his writings Of The Liberty of Subjects in which he states that man in his state of natural being has the right to defend his life.
Before one can argue the right of the subject to disobey the sovereign, we need to review what the true liberty of each subject is and how that liberty is to be measured. To do this, we must first consider the rights that we have consented to hand over when we form a commonwealth, or put another way, what liberty we deny ourselves.
When we, by act of submission, divest ourselves of our power and wills in favor of a common power, we have given the sovereign authority over our liberty and as such, we are obligated to uphold the authority of the sovereign.
Approximate Word count = 833
Approximate Pages = 3.3
(250 words per page double spaced)
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