{"id":1079,"date":"2026-08-09T18:46:04","date_gmt":"2026-08-09T13:16:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/psir\/pyq\/individualism-is-inherent-in-hobbes-absolutist-ideology-comment-upsc-psir-2022-1307\/"},"modified":"2026-08-12T21:23:45","modified_gmt":"2026-08-12T15:53:45","slug":"individualism-is-inherent-in-hobbes-absolutist-ideology-comment-upsc-psir-2022-1307","status":"publish","type":"psir_pyq","link":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/psir\/psir-pyq\/individualism-is-inherent-in-hobbes-absolutist-ideology-comment-upsc-psir-2022-1307\/","title":{"rendered":"Individualism is inherent in Hobbes\u2019 absolutist ideology. Comment."},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"pq-flow\">\n<div class=\"pq-flow-h\">Flow snapshot <em>\u2014 how the answer moves<\/em><\/div>\n<div class=\"pq-fb\">\n<div class=\"pq-pill p1\"><span>Intro routes<\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"pq-ft\">\n<p class=\"pq-r\"><i class=\"pq-rt\">Route 1<\/i> claim sound <span class=\"pq-ar\">\u2192<\/span> individual is the root of absolutism, not its casualty<\/p>\n<p class=\"pq-r\"><i class=\"pq-rt\">Route 2<\/i> absolute state built on individualist ground <span class=\"pq-ar\">\u2192<\/span> individualism precedes and explains the absolutism<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"pq-fb\">\n<div class=\"pq-pill p2\"><span>Body flow<\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"pq-ft\">\n<p>starts with the separate individual (not community \/ virtue \/ common good) <span class=\"pq-ar\">\u2192<\/span> ontological primacy + self-interested, possessive, self-preserving <span class=\"pq-ar\">\u2192<\/span> <b class=\"pq-sc\">Sabine<\/b> \u201cgreatest individualist\u201d \/ <b class=\"pq-sc\">Oakeshott<\/b> \u201cmorality of individuality\u201d \/ <b class=\"pq-sc\">Macpherson<\/b> \u201cpossessive individualism\u201d <span class=\"pq-ar\">\u2192<\/span> natural liberty + equality belong to individuals before the state <span class=\"pq-ar\">\u2192<\/span> unregulated liberty <span class=\"pq-ar\">\u2192<\/span> war of all against all <span class=\"pq-ar\">\u2192<\/span> individuals create all-powerful sovereign for life + possessions <span class=\"pq-ar\">\u2192<\/span> state exists for the person <span class=\"pq-ar\">\u2192<\/span> absolutism derivative of individualism<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"pq-fb\">\n<div class=\"pq-pill p3\"><span>Counter-view<\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"pq-ft\">\n<p><b class=\"pq-sc\">Macpherson<\/b>\u2019s tension: \u201cstarts as individualist, ends as absolutist\u201d <span class=\"pq-ar\">\u2192<\/span> but tension internal to one system <span class=\"pq-ar\">\u2192<\/span> retained right of self-preservation <span class=\"pq-ar\">\u2192<\/span> individual never disappears under Leviathan<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"pq-fb\">\n<div class=\"pq-pill p4\"><span>Conclusion routes<\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"pq-ft\">\n<p class=\"pq-r\"><i class=\"pq-rt\">Route 1<\/i> individualism not opposed to absolutism but built into it <span class=\"pq-ar\">\u2192<\/span> absolute state = means, individual = end<\/p>\n<p class=\"pq-r\"><i class=\"pq-rt\">Route 2<\/i> absolutism the form, individualism the inner logic <span class=\"pq-ar\">\u2192<\/span> inherence upheld<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"template":"","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"footnotes":""},"pyq_year":[47],"pyq_marks":[35],"pyq_topic":[56],"pyq_paper":[33],"class_list":["post-1079","psir_pyq","type-psir_pyq","status-publish","hentry","pyq_year-47","pyq_marks-15-marks","pyq_topic-western-political-thought","pyq_paper-paper-1"],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/psir\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/psir_pyq\/1079","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/psir\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/psir_pyq"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/psir\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/psir_pyq"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/psir\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/psir_pyq\/1079\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4673,"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/psir\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/psir_pyq\/1079\/revisions\/4673"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/psir\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1079"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"pyq_year","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/psir\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pyq_year?post=1079"},{"taxonomy":"pyq_marks","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/psir\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pyq_marks?post=1079"},{"taxonomy":"pyq_topic","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/psir\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pyq_topic?post=1079"},{"taxonomy":"pyq_paper","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/psir\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pyq_paper?post=1079"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}