MIDTERM PRACTICE 2

“Fear [sic], and Liberty are consistent . . . . And generally all actions which men do [sic] in Common-wealths, for fear [sic] of the law, are actions, which the doers had liberty to omit […]. Liberty and Necessity are Consistent [. . .]. [B]ecause they proceed from their will, proceed from liberty; and yet, because every act of man’s [sic] will, and every desire, and inclination proceeds [sic] from some cause, and that from another cause, in a continual [sic] chain [sic], (whose first link in the hand of God the first of all causes,) they proceed from necessity.”
- Thomas Hobbes

Ever wonder why you can't have certain things by them self or why you can't have something without something else being a part of it? These are questions that everyone has had some point in their life. This is because some things come in a package whether you like it or not. This is the point Thomas Hobbes made hundreds of years ago. Hobbes view was that fear is consistent with liberty, with liberty also being consistent with necessity.

Thomas Hobbes states that fear and liberty are consistent because in a Common-wealth, men are fearful of the law, but they also had the option to admit to it. When men have all the liberty they want, they are most fearful of what could possibly happen to them. In early colonization of the New World, man could chose not to join the common wealth, but in making this decision, it would make him more fearful of the other men who could possibly take his land. By being part of the common wealth he has less freedom, but is protected by the others in the common wealth. This is a common scene today in American society. For example, teenagers have the choice to obey or disobey laws and regulations. When they decide to stay out past curfew, they have to be more fearful of their consequences. When they obey their parents orders and come home at the time given, they don't have to worry as much about being punished. I highly agree and understand this concept, being a teenager myself, and know that it is impossible to have one without the other.

Hobbes also makes the point that liberty and necessity are consistent because man's will, desire, and inclination comes from his need to do it. Man would not have any of the above mentioned if it wasn't needed in the first place. There's no point in having a skill or thought if it's never needed. If a skill or thought was never needed in the first place, it wouldn't have been created. An example of this in American society is the relationship between children and their parents. If a child of the age sixteen or higher were to be emancipated, technically they would be able to do as they wish freely. Along with their new found freedom comes the responsibilities of paying for their own necessities. I know first hand how to be granted more liberty, means the responsibilities have to increase. At home if I want the freedom of my curfew being extended and being able to use the car to go places, the responsibilities have to increase, such as preparing diner, taking initiative without being told, etc.

In essence, all three, fear, liberty, and necessity are consistent with each other. The decision is up to each individual person, but every decision they decide affects the next.