Philip Pettit, Hobbes's Distinctive view of the Social Contract

Christopher Watkin introduces Philip Pettit, who presents a paper on Hobbes's distinctive view of the social contract, contextualizing it within 17th-century England and France and the Reformation. Pettit discusses Hobbes's theories of human nature and morality, emphasizing the role of language and self-interest in shaping the state of nature. He explains Hobbes's argument for a strong, justified state that balances individual autonomy with the need for order, achieved through a social contract enforced by a sovereign. Following the presentation, Watkin moderates a Q&A session where Pettit addresses questions about the historical status of the social contract, the relationship between Hobbes's premises, contemporary approaches to Hobbes's theory, and the implications of his ideas on equality and state collapse.