Hobbes Leviathan, Section: Of Punishment and Rewards

A Portion of Hobbes Leviathan, Section: Of Punishment and Rewards
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A Portion of Hobbes Leviathan, Section: Of Punishment and Rewards
What is the author’s purpose(s) in this portion, and how does he accomplish his purpose(s)? You should consider the selected portion both in itself and in the context of the world as a whole.
The chapter entitled Of Punishments and Rewards is quite intriguing and thought-provoking as it takes one through the intricacies of what Hobbes considers as fair and just punishment. Further, it provides an in-depth account of what Hobbes believes to constitute rewards. The chapter starts with defining what constitutes punishment and then proceeds to offer a long, in-depth breakdown of what punishment is and what it should not be. Doing so breaks down the idea of punishment with several installments that capture what punishment entails, especially within the confines of a commonwealth. Therefore, the purpose of this chapter is to explain the term punishment, the situations or instances when people deserve to be punished, and who deserves punishment. The chapter also provides a clear understanding of the same while offering a clear distinction from other terms, like revenge, often misconstrued as punishment. Further, the chapter serves its purpose by sharing the instances that constitute or that reveal a reward.
How the Author Accomplishes His Purpose
The term punishment could mean different things according to what people believe or hold as their truth. For example, in an autocratic or repressive regime, the punishment could be the actions meted out to individuals that happen to speak out against their regime. In other instances, the punishment could be taken to mean revenge that a person executes after they have been wronged. All these instances could be taken to mean punishment. However, Hobbes delivers a piece that seeks to point out instances that could constitute the term in a fair and just way. Further, he makes sure to avoid ambiguous explanations that can also cause confusion with his approach to explaining the term. Below is an explication of how Hobbes manages to attain his purpose throughout the chapter.
First, Hobbes offers a clear definition of the purpose or goal of punishment and rewards. Hobbes makes it clear that punishment without a goal or the right intention is a hostile act. He notes that “all evil which is inflicted without intention or possibility of disposing the delinquent (or, by his example, other men) to obey the laws is not punishment, but an act of hostility; because without such an end, no hurt done is contained under that name” (Hobbes, 1651, p. 204). In the statement above, Hobbes first provides the intention of punishment which he indicates as being used to cause deterrence either of the individual or of the public/masses. He makes it clear that without such an intention, the idea of punishment is non-existent, and any harm caused borders on acts of hostility. Any punishment directed at an individual should first coincide with an act of disobedience or delinquency towards the adopted laws of the land. After confirmation of the act, the punishment adopted must be deemed fair and administered to cause deterrence. Hobbes makes the above clear throughout the chapter, often insisting that any act that goes beyond the intention to ensure deterrence is an act of hostility. In doing so, he maintains the quest to fulfill the purpose of the entire chapter.
Hobbes also attains his purpose throughout the chapter by explaining why punishment is just within a commonwealth. He notes that without the institution of commonwealth, people were free to do as they pleased. Men could kill for the sake of attaining their goals, and such acts were not condemned because there was no law or precedent set against such acts. No man was the subject of another or any laws. However, as men decided to down their tools and sovereignty, they strengthened the law and made it sovereign. In doing so, every act deemed to have bypassed or sidestepped the law was thus deemed punishable. With such an explanation, Hobbes manages to offer a clear outline and justification of how and why punishment within the commonwealth is justifiable and that all men deserve whichever punishment meted to them if and when they act against the law. In doing the above, Hobbes ...