Machiavelli and Hobbes 163ity of the sovereign is to protect their lives. The contract is made
by the people for their mutual security, but the sovereign is not
a part of the contract, which is an agreement among equals. The
sovereign is simply the enforcer. Despite the absolute power of
the sovereign in carrying out the terms of the contract, there are
certain things he may not do. He may not force a citizen to go to
war, testify against himself, or do anything that violates his right
to self-defense or self-preservation. However, so long as the
sovereign does provide this security, he rules and is to be obeyed
in all other things.
The people, for their part, must obey the law. The peace,
security, and tranquility that are the goals of the covenant result
from obedience to the terms of the contract. Therefore, individu
als who would try to assert themselves against others for their
own interest, violate the law, challenge the sovereign, or in any
way disrupt the community, are in violation of the terms of the
contract and are subject to whatever punishment the sovereign
imposes, with, of course, the obvious exception—no man need
willingly go to his death at the hands of anyone, including the
sovereign.
Hobbes’ great concern is not only for security, but for unity.
To that end he calls for a state religion. The religion of the
sovereign should be the religion of the community. His materi
alism required that he reject religion as being able to explain God
to man. God might exist but since there is no scientific way to
explain God, dogma, and theology, religion’s only value is in its
pragmatic use as a tool of the state. Religion is a great means to
help unify a state, but not a credible way to find and/or know
God. Its credibility, however, was not Hobbes’ concern. He
believed that religion was the most important force in maintain
ing the unity of the state. Conversely, if not under the careful
control of the sovereign, it could be and often was, the most
divisive force conceivable.
There are two means by which states come into being. Hobbes
calls them Commonwealth by Acquisition, and Commonwealth
by Institution. A Commonwealth by Acquisition is, according to
Hobbes, natural. It occurs when a superior force subdues his
enemies and they, as a condition for maintaining their lives,
submit to his will. The reason that the people submit to a ruler in
the Commonwealth by Acquisition is because they fear him and