Similarities between Leviathan and The Prince

The theme of self-preservation is ubiquitous throughout Thomas Hobbes’ Leviathan, and is at the core of his philosophy.  This unique ideology brings to mind the work of another early consequentialist, Niccoló Machiavelli.  Written over a century before Leviathan, Machiavelli’s The Prince has similar, if not identical, themes on human nature and politics. 

Although The Prince may not necessarily reflect Machiavelli’s true beliefs as it was written for the Medici family, it has become a political classic.  Machiavelli champions the idea of self-preservation and is often (incorrectly) credited with the phrase “the ends justify the means” – a concept Hobbes revisits throughout Leviathan. 

To Machiavelli and Hobbes, self-preservation is an innate instinct, and to Hobbes, a basic right.  In chapter 14 of the Leviathan, Hobbes writes that “each man hath, to use his own power… for the preservation of his own Nature, that is to say, of his own Life and consequently, of doing any thing, which in his own Judgement and Reason, hee shall conceive to be the aptest means thereunto."  This belief justifies The Fundamental Law of Nature; that man may seek out war in order to ensure and maintain peace, and therefore the self.  Machiavelli similarly writes that humans are fickle, and act in a way that preserves their self-interest at the expense of their neighbor (ch. 17). 

In The Prince and Leviathan, both Machiavelli and Hobbes hold similar cynical views on human nature and agree that order may be best maintained by a sovereign power.  Both agree that the sovereign in power can do no injustice, as they are acting on behalf of the people (Leviathan ch. 18, The Prince ch. 17)

Although both texts are written for entirely different audiences in different time periods, they have many overarching themes.  The similarities between the two, especially when it comes to human nature and politics, make it appear as though Hobbes was inspired, at least in part, by Machiavelli’s The Prince.  

*I have these texts on Kindle, and referencing the chapter number seemed like the best way to cite the quoted passages