Hobbesian view of human nature as well as his social contract continues to influence scholars and has been critically examined from different perspectives.
Hobbesian view of human nature has been criticised by Macpherson (1962) as a characterization of human behaviour in a market society rather than a prepolitical state of nature. Macpherson argues that the competitive and constantly a war human nature described by Hobbes was a feature of the emerging market society of his time. Thus, in his view, Hobbes’ social contract was an effort to stabilize the unstable nature of the emerging market society by suggesting the creation of a powerful sovereign. Further, the ahistorical nature of Hobbesian state of nature has also been criticised by many. Hobbes himself concedes in the Leviathan that the kind of state of nature he spells out is hypothetical and not historical.
Hobbes’ moral philosophy has also been criticized by many prominent thinkers like Adam Smith (1759) as well as Leo Strauss (1936). Both of them were critical of what they saw as a deep seated moral relativism in Hobbes. As discussed earlier, the good and evil in Hobbesian moral framework is largely equivalent to appetites and aversions respectively. Adam Smith (1759) especially criticizes Hobbes for denying the possibility of justice in the pre-civil society state of nature and thereby, reducing morality as a mere invention of the state, devoid of higher principles. Thus, his attempt to reduce human behaviour, including moral precepts to arise from materialistic, mechanistic causal principles has been questioned by many. However, this view has also been questioned by scholars like Warrender (1957) who have adopted a deontological view of Hobbes by arguing that his moral philosophy rests chiefly on natural laws which are immutable and eternal even in the state of nature, because they arise from God. One can find evidences to support both these views in Hobbes’ writings. Questions have also been asked about whether the power hungry and insecure human beings described by Hobbes in the state of nature can ever come together to create a social contract. It is doubtful whether the aggressive and violent human beings of the state of nature will suddenly find reason and establish a social contract. Moreover, Hobbes has also been criticised for creating an absolutist sovereign to whom all rights except the right to self-preservation is surrendered.
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