The other side of Hobbesian corporations: political responsibility and regular conflict

Abstract

This paper intends to explain why Hobbes adopts a corporatist perspective in order to account for the social and political dynamics of the Leviathan. Specifically, we will attempt to demonstrate that the ordering of the political society in the form of systems conducted by representatives enables Hobbes to establish certain rules in the development of public conflicts. That is to say, in essence, the ascription of accountability. Furthermore, as a subsidiary hypothesis, it will be argued that the centrality of the theory of representation is a result of Hobbes’ aim to erase, not political conflict as such, but only its irregular setup.