Hobbes The Fool essays

Hobbes The Fool essays A covenant is a contracted agreement in which it is trusted that both persons will carry out their responsibility in time. This can be referred to as the keeping of a promise. The mutual transferring of right, is that which men call CONTRACT. This means that when you exchange something in return for something else you are binding yourself to the agreement of the exchange. One of the contractors, may deliver the thing contracted for on his part, and leave the other to perform his part at some determinate time after, and in the mean time be trusted; and then the contract on his part, is called PACT or COVENANT. When a person agrees to do something at a time in the future for someone or to someone they are being trusted to follow through, therefore giving their trusted word, making a promise. To promise that which is known to be impossible, is no covenant. Therefore, a person cannot be bound to a promise that requires an impossible thing to be accomplished. According to Hobbe s, there are two ways in which a person can be freed from a covenant, by performing; or by being forgiven. What I lawfully covenant, I cannot lawfully break. Hobbes explains that no matter what the circumstances, even covenants entered into by fear, in the condition of mere nature, are obligatory.5 Who breaks a covenant? Does a covenant become void if it seems to have a beneficial outcome on a party involved? Hobbes states that only one person reasons that the breaking of a covenant can be beneficial to ones life and that the reasoning that this person uses is false. Hobbes calls this unreasonable character the fool. To understand why Hobbes believes that the person who believes breaking a covenant could be to ones benefit is a fool, we must understand his definition of justice. Justice is the constant will of giving to every man his own. Me...