Year: 2026
Type: article
Abstract: The purpose of this article is to analyze the terms of Hobbes' contractual obligation in relation to the will. To this end, it is based on the assumption that reason is not sufficient to make the obligation effective, as Gauthier states, not even as the main means of self-preservation. Obligation is based on the declaration of the will, by which it exercises bonds of obligation capable of creating sufficient conditions for the fulfillment and validity of agreements. This shows that the will plays an important role in the realization of the contract and, consequently, in the realization of the obligation. In view of this, it is necessary to point out that the act of binding oneself does not come from the fear of an irresistible power, but from the will expressed in the commitment to transfer a right. Therefore, the sign of the will to transfer a right represents the condition of obligation. In this way, by directly linking obligation and self-preservation, Hobbes offers a model of will that is coherent with the guarantee of reciprocity in the conditions for preserving life.
Language: English
Subfield: Philosophy
Field: Arts and Humanities
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: diamond
OpenAlex ID: W7151456936