Leviathan · Chapter
X: Of Power, Worth, Dignity, Honour, and Worthiness explained
This chapter defines power as a man's present means to obtain future apparent good, distinguishing between natural and instrumental power.
What happens
This chapter defines power as a man's present means to obtain future apparent good, distinguishing between natural and instrumental power. It explores how power is compounded through consent in a commonwealth or faction, and examines the concepts of value, worth, honour, dignity, and worthiness. Honour is described as the manifestation of the value we set on one another, with honourable actions and qualities being signs of power. The chapter also discusses how civil honour derives from the sovereign, and distinguishes worthiness as fitness or aptitude for a particular charge, separate from merit or desert.
Themes in this chapter
Power and Honor
The chapter extensively examines how power is the foundation of honour, with all honourable qualities and actions being signs of power, and discusses the civil regulation of honour by the sovereign.
Human Nature and Passions
The analysis of how men value themselves and others, the role of fear, love, and ambition in acquiring power, and the psychological underpinnings of honour and dishonour reflect Hobbes's view of human nature driven by passions.
Characters to notice
- Jupiter
Cited as an example of ancient heathen honouring the gods through poems that celebrated his adulteries, illustrating that honour consists in the opinion of power.
- Mercury
Mentioned as being celebrated in Homer's hymn for his frauds and thefts, used to show that great and difficult actions, even if unjust, were considered honourable as signs of power.
- Homer
Referenced as the author of a hymn praising Mercury, used to illustrate the ancient view that honour is based on power rather than justice.
Key passages
“The “power of a man,” to take it universally, is his present means; to obtain some future apparent good: and is either “original” or “instrumental.””
A man's power, broadly speaking, consists of whatever means he currently has to achieve something he sees as good in the future; this power can be either natural or acquired through other means.
Hobbes defines power as the means to attain future good, setting the foundation for the chapter's discussion of honour and worth.
“The “value,” or “worth” of a man, is as of all other things, his price; that is to say, so much as would be given for the use of his power: and therefore is not absolute; but a thing dependent on the need and judgment of another.”
A man's worth is like the price of any other thing: it is what someone would pay to use his power, so it is relative and depends on the buyer's need and opinion.
Hobbes introduces a market-based view of human value, emphasizing its relativity and dependence on others' judgment.
“To value a man at a high rate, is to “honour” him; at a low rate, is to “dishonour” him.”
Honouring someone means valuing them highly, while dishonouring means valuing them lowly.
This succinctly links honour to the estimation of value, a central theme of the chapter.