TY - THES ID - 138459131 TI - The Problematics Absolute Sovereignty in Hobbes' Social Contract AU - Okite, Chinedu Kelechi AU - Mulieri, Alessandro AU - KU Leuven. Hoger Instituut voor Wijsbegeerte. Opleiding Master of Philosophy (Leuven) PY - 2018 PB - Leuven KU Leuven. Hoger Instituut voor Wijsbegeerte DB - UniCat UR - https://www.unicat.be/uniCat?func=search&query=sysid:138459131 AB - In Hobbes's theory, as expounded in Leviathan, there exists a proviso in which he gives the conditions for when the subjects may disobey the sovereign. This is when the right to preserve their life is under threat by the sovereign's commands. To determine when this life is endangered rests on the individuals. I consider this Hobbesian resort to private interpretation together with the retained rights (to preserve their life) as something that vitiates the power invested in the sovereign from being absolute. This is by taking cognizance of what absolutism stands for. Hobbes' commitment to absolutism would have it that the sovereign remains the supreme ruler whose powers know no bounds. It is my aim in this thesis to use the subjects' right to self-preservation (which here uses self-defence right as a case study) and private judgment which is a subjective right, to demonstrate that the Hobbesian exceptions attenuate the power of the sovereign from being absolute. My conclusions in this thesis are that the inconsistencies in Hobbes' arguments attenuate his theory of absolutism. Secondly, by granting such exceptions on retained rights, I argue that Hobbes subverts his theory perhaps, unintentionally. This is not because of lack of powerful arguments which he quite put forward but rather, largely on certain inconsistencies based on those exceptions. To arrive at the above conclusions, I employ the following steps: I examined Hobbes' state of nature, the social contract and the institution of the sovereign with an absolute power which Hobbes argues only him (sovereign) can arrest the anarchy in the state of nature. I consider few of those powers (to secure peace and life, adjudication, reward and punishment), and Hobbes' concept of self-preservation. From this point, the main thrust of the thesis is considered. I showed how limited the powers of the sovereign is. This invariably points to the overall interest of the thesis which is that the retained rights (which self-preservation is part) raise problems for Hobbes ER -