2026 NBCT AYA Social Studies Complete Practice Test

In Leviathan, the decisive idea is that human beings are driven by self-interest and rivalry, and without a powerful, centralized authority there would be constant conflict and insecurity. Hobbes argues that to escape a life that is “solitary, poor, nasty, brutish, and short,” people consent to give up some freedoms and place immense, potentially unlimited, power in a single sovereign who can enforce peace and prevent the slide back into chaos. The sovereignty must be absolute because any significant limitation or divided authority risks challenges and instability that could unravel the social contract. The sovereign’s authority is justified not by divine right but by its practical ability to secure order and safety for everyone.

Other thinkers advocate different arrangements. John Locke argues for government with limited powers that protect natural rights, Rousseau emphasizes the general will and participatory sovereignty, and Voltaire champions reason and reform rather than an all-powerful ruler. The Leviathan vision is the classic articulation of why a single, all-encompassing authority is seen as necessary to curb selfishness and maintain social order.