Hobbes and the Fool Literature & Language Essay Paper

Assignment Information
Pages: 6 pages
Due Date: Wednesday, January 21st at 11:59 PM
Format: Times New Roman, 12 point, double-spaced, 1” margins, Microsoft Word format.
Do not put your name on the paper; grading will be anonymous. l Do not use outside sources.

1 Essay #1: "Hobbes and The Fool" Assignment Information l Pages: 6 pages l Due Date: Wednesday, January 21st at 11:59 PM l Format: Times New Roman, 12 point, double-spaced, 1” margins, Microsoft Word format. Upload to Brightspace. l Do not put your name on the paper; grading will be anonymous. l Do not use outside sources. Objectives Essay #1 asks you to carefully read an argument and assess its viability. I have chosen a part of the text that is largely self-contained, making it manageable for analysis. Essentially, your job is to 1) comprehend the argument in question, and 2) evaluate the argument, offering an original contribution of your own. A good paper will: have a clear, original, and defensible thesis; give the reader clear reasons to think that the author is right; provide adequate textual evidence to support the thesis, and demonstrate a nuanced understanding of Hobbes that goes beyond the passage. Prompt In Chapter 15 of Leviathan, Hobbes introduces the figure of The Fool, who challenges the claim that it is always rational to be just (39): “The fool hath said in his heart, there is no such thing as justice, and sometimes also with his tongue, seriously alleging that, every man’s conservation and contentment being committed to his own care, there could be no reason why every man might not 2 do what he thought conduced thereunto; and therefore also to make or not make, keep or not keep covenants was not against reason when it conduced to one’s benefit. He does not therein deny that there be covenants and that they are sometimes broken, sometimes kept, and that such breach of them may be called injustice and the observance of them justice; but he questions whether injustice, taking away the fear of God—for the same fool hath said in his heart there is no God – may not sometimes stand with that reason which dictates to every man his own good, and particularly then when it conduces to such a benefit as shall put a man in a condition to neglect not only the dispraise and revilings, but also the power of other men.” In the passages that follow, Hobbes responds to the fool (stopping at the paragraph that begins “The names of just and unjust…” on Page 566). Essentially, Hobbes offers a series of reasons why he thinks that the fool’s view is incorrect. You can think of their exchange as a contained dialogue or disagreement about a specific issue, or a debate that you will enter into. Your assignment is to twofold: 1. Understand the debate between Hobbes and The Fool.1 2. Assess whether or not Hobbes suceeds in responding to The Fool. If you think that Hobbes does not suceed in responding to the Fool, then your argumentative thesis is going to be a specific articulation of how Hobbes fails to address The Fool’s key point(s). If you think that Hobbes does succeed in responding to the Fool, then come up with an objection to Hobbes and try to defend him against it. In that case, your argumentative thesis will be something like “Hobbes faces objection X, but I will defend him by showing that Y.” Sample these statements include: Ø “Hobbes does not succeed at defeating the fool because...” Ø “Hobbes offers a compelling response to the fool in X ways, but Y...” Ø While Hobbes does not offer a satisfactory response to the fool because of X reason, resources exist within his own account to defend his view. I will support Hobbes by arguing that Y.” 3 How to Structure the Paper Set up your paper to argue for the thesis; every paragraph should have a clear role in guiding the reader one step closer to the conclusion. Do not include a lot of extraneous information that the reader does not need (e.g. don’t tell the reader a long story about Hobbes or the historical background of the argument; just write the things that the reader needs to know in order for you to sufficiently make your point in the essay). One way (but not the only way) to organize the paper is: 1. Explain the fool’s claim or argument. (1 page) 2. Explain the relevant part of Hobbes’ response to the argument: that is, choose one aspect of Hobbes’ argument to respond to in the paper (e.g. don’t list, in paragraph form, the different responses that Hobbes gives to the fool; stick to just the ones that are relevant for your thesis). Do not rehearse everything Hobbes says. (1 page) 3. Evaluate Hobbes’ argument: how is it satisfactory or dissatisfactory? Prove your thesis. Your thesis should address an aspect of Hobbes’ response to the fool, establishing whether or not he succeeds in defending himself or not. If you think that he does succeed, then entertain an objection in order to get a bit of critical tension in your paper. (2-3 pages) Note that your organization may not be in sections like these; perhaps your presentation of Hobbes’ argument will come in stages, along with the different points that you want to make in support of your conclusion.