Punishment is “an Evill inflicted by publique Authority” on one who has broken the law and gone before a judge. The right to punish subjects comes from the covenant of the common-wealth, which imbues the sovereign with the power to punish those who do not conform to the law and the right to appoint judges to issue that punishment. Private revenge done onto a subject by another subject is not punishment, nor is punishment inflicted by an authority that is not made public. Any pain that an authority inflicts in the name of punishment must be in respect to the good of the common-wealth, not the evil of the crime that was committed. There are many different forms of punishment, such as corporal punishment or exile, and it is against the Laws of Nature to punish an innocent subject. According to Hobbes, for any covenant or law to be honored, the fear of punishment for breaking said law or covenant must be greater than the perceived reward of breaking it.
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Punishment Term Timeline in Leviathan
The timeline below shows where the term Punishment appears in Leviathan. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Chapter 15: Of other Lawes of Nature
...be some central power that compels people to perform said covenant, and the fear of punishment must be greater than the perceived reward for breaking the covenant. Therefore, if there is...
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Chapter 28: Of PUNISHMENTS, and REWARDS
Hobbes defines punishment as “an Evill inflicted by publique Authority” on someone who has broken the law and...
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If punishment is inflicted directly on the body, as in wounds or a deprivation of some kind...
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Just as there is punishment for breaking laws, there is also reward for adhering to the laws of a common-wealth....
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Chapter 30: Of the OFFICE of the Soveraign Representative
...and eloquent sovereign is most helpful in the declaration of laws and legislation, and in punishment and the rewarding of subjects as well.
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Chapter 31: OF the KINGDOME OF GOD by NATURE
God gathers his sovereign power from his omnipotence, or “Irresistible Power.” Punishment is generally understood to come from sin; however, the right to afflict punishment comes from...
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Chapter 42: Of POWER ECCLESIASTICALL
...effect. Excommunication only matters to those who believe in Christ, and it is practiced as punishment for some transgression. According to I Corinthians 5:11, “if any man that is called a...
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A REVIEW, and CONCLUSION
In a common-wealth, the punishment of those who break the law is usually executed by someone appointed by the sovereign...
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