Hobbes’s State: “Why Are You Hitting Yourself?”
From Audio Mises Wire by Mises Institute
May 8, 2026 · 16 min
About this episode
The episode discusses Hobbes's argument that complaining about the state is essentially a complaint against oneself due to the social contract.
To complain against the state’s actions, argues Hobbes, is to ultimately complain against yourself because you originally authorized the state through social contract and the state represents you!Original article: https://mises.org/mises-wire/hobbess-state-why-are-you-hitting-yourself
Topics covered
- social contract
- state authority
- political philosophy
- self-governance
- Hobbes
Keywords
- Hobbes
- state
- social contract
- political philosophy
- authority
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: Mises Institute
More episodes of Audio Mises Wire
- The Abolitionist Movement in the Antebellum South · June 13, 2026 · 10 min
- The Declaration of Independence versus Egalitarianism · June 12, 2026 · 19 min
- AI, Creative Destruction, and the Politicization of Economic Change · June 11, 2026 · 8 min
- Potential Lockdowns, Polarization, And What Should be Done · June 11, 2026 · 12 min
- How American Progressives Influenced Hitler · June 11, 2026 · 18 min
- Medieval Europeans Paved the Way for Freedom in the West · June 10, 2026 · 19 min
Explore listener stats, chart rankings, contacts and more on the Audio Mises Wire podcast page.