Hobbes 's moral theory is known as “social contract theory”,which is the method of justifying political principles or arrangements by appeal to the agreement that would be made among suitably situated rational, free, and equal persons.Social contract is a method that we ought to submit to the authority of an absolute sovereign power. There are four concepts employed by Hobbes which will be discussed as below.
First,the right of nature indicate that every man is born to use his own power for the preservation of his own nature.Yet Hobbes adds reasons into the right of nature.Hobbes suggests that person A has the right to do action X as long as doing X has the right reason.Second,the law of nature is derived from the right of nature.Hobbes defines them as discoverable with reason and they are used to help people to avoid self-destruction and keep rational.Third,for Hobbes,all obligations are selfimposed,right of nature allows us to do anything we see fit to preserve our existence. Any restrictions on action must be voluntary.Finally it come to justice. For Hobbes, the just act is one that does not involve the contravention of a covenant.
Hobbes 's notion of morality is that laws of nature.It can be said that social contract is morally required because it promotes our preservation and conducive to peace.
According to David Gauthier,the first dogma that hobbes accepts is utility.Utility is a measure of individual preferences where Hobbes call them desires or appetites.Gauthier 's