Question

Why does Hobbes's version of the social contract give absolute power to a sovereign?

Answer 1

Hobbes's version of the social contract gives absolute power to a sovereign because (D.) only the sovereign is capable of protecting people from the state of nature.

Hobbes, who was a Royalist, rejected the theory that supported the divine hereditary right of kings; however, he did believe in the sovereign's unlimited power. According to him, only one leader was capable of protecting the state of nature, essentially characterized by war, by achieving his purpose: avoiding self-destruction and establishing peace. Furthermore, unlike Locke, Hobbes believed that the social contract was non-terminable and non-renewable.