Hobbes says we leave the state of nature and create the commonwealth to escape from fear. He also says we obey the laws of the commonwealth because we fear the sovereign. Is this a contradiction? Why or why not?
Cite the Leviathan by page number in parentheses after the relevant reference or quotation. If you are using a different edition than I am focus on chapter or section numbers. Note that the quotations marks come after the quotation and not after the citation. quote (Cite).
1. Your paper is supposed to be an interpretation of some aspect of the work(s): in other words, an argument concerning some aspect of the work based on analysis of relevant textual evidence. Your paper is not supposed to be a summary of the work, a statement of your opinion about the work, or a discussion of its historical significance or relevance.
Frame your paper as an investigation of why and how the author makes the argument he or she does rather than simply saying what is said. Turn your topic into an argument.
An example of turning a topic into an argument:
1. Machiavelli discusses virtue and vice.
2. Machiavelli critiques the traditional understanding of virtue and vice.
3. Machiavelli argues that the traditional understanding of virtue and vice is not effective for acquiring and maintaining political power.
4. Machiavelli argues that the traditional understanding of virtue and vice is not effective for acquiring and maintaining political power, and he offers a new understanding of how the prince should prudently use virtue and vice to ensure the security of the state.
.
2. Give a clear statement of your argument at the beginning of your paper.
3. Unify your paper with a single argument with a logical development from one step of the argument to the next. Do not make your paper a collection of separate points or examples.
4. Every time you state that the author states or argues something you should have evidence to support your statement, either in the form of a quotation or a specific textual reference.
