Embrace Objectivity, Recognize Limits

Social contract theories illustrate a divide in the relationship between individuals and the state. Unlike later theorists who propose criteria for state accountability, Hobbes argues that pre-political chaos prevents any pre-existing standards for the state. For Hobbes, state actions deemed inconvenient can be overlooked unless they threaten survival, which provides limited justification for resistance. He seeks to eliminate subjectivity through the state’s creation of artificial objectivity, presenting the state as a 'mortal God.' However, his fixation on fear as a political motivator is less emphasized by subsequent theorists.