I wanted to focus on the actual meaning and origin of the
word “Leviathan” (mostly because I think ancient, mysterious, biblical sea monsters
are fascinating –and Disney mentioned it briefly in the second Atlantis movie and that is enough reason
for me to spend time discussing it.) Using the imagery of a ferocious and
powerful sea monster was an interesting choice for Hobbes, especially since the
Leviathan has several different roles in the Bible (and in Disney films).
In the Hebrew Bible of the Book of Job, God describes the
Leviathan to Job as a mighty beast who cannot be controlled, caged, or
destroyed by the strength of men; only God can control this sea monster (refer
to picture) and therefore Job is to have more faith in God’s power
of creation and His control over the earth. Most likely, this is the form of
the Leviathan that Hobbes was referring to.
However, if we jump to the book of Isaiah, God describes the
Leviathan as a symbol of wickedness and specifically, wicked kings, and that if
the people of God have faith in Him, this type of wickedness (A.K.A the strength
of the Leviathan) cannot succeed.
And then in the second installment of Disney’s Atlantis (this is one of my favorite
movie series so of course I’m going to talk about it) the Leviathan acts as a
type of “hive mind” where it takes complete control of the population of a nearby
village and makes them do whatever it wants, even if they commit evil.
So with these three forms of the Leviathan in mind and what
they represent in a commonwealth, I definitely doubt more the social contract theory
of Hobbes. Thanks to the Bible and Disney, I more strongly support the theory that man is good and therefore can govern him/herself with the need for a controlling sovereign.
Image Credit: "Destruction of the Leviathan by Gustave Doré" (Public Domain Image via WikiCommons)
I thought Disney + Bible was supposed to = VeggieTales, not sea monsters. Nevertheless, I love your point about how the Leviathan is supposed to be something uncontained and uncontrollable. I think the LDS doctrine that describes the dissension of Satan and his followers is particularly interesting because it describes the uncontrollable side of our individual wills. I guess that partially explains why he proposes such a powerful central government.
ReplyDeleteI'm not quite sure I understand how your understanding of these different forms of the Leviathan negate Hobbes. How do they relate to each other?
ReplyDelete