This paper analyzes Thomas Hobbes' social contract theory and Immanuel Kant's cosmopolitanism and applies them to current events. Hobbes believed individuals must cede power to a sovereign state to maintain order, but this risks the state itself acting with unchecked power. Kant advocated a universal morality shared by all humanity and prioritized individual morality over states, but this could enable conflict without consensus. The paper examines these theories in the context of US police brutality cases and Edward Snowden's leaks, raising questions about how much power should be ceded to states and how cosmopolitanism could prevent chaos.

1. Mario Fernando Miralles II
June 15th, 2015
Social Contract Theory and Cosmopolitanism: An Analysis on Hobbes and Kant
Thomas Hobbes and Immanuel Kant were two distinct figures in the study of
International Relations. Hobbes was an English philosopher during the 17th century who lived
through the English Civil War which was a model to one of his most influential books written,
Leviathan. Immanuel Kant, a German philosopher, was around during the 18th century and is a
key figure in our understanding of modern philosophy. This paper will analyze the observations
of Michael C. Williams (1996) and David Boucher (1999) on Hobbes’ social contract theory and
Kant’s cosmopolitanism. The concepts within the readings will be applied to current events that
can relate such as the growing number of police brutality cases in the US and the ramifications of
Edward Snowden’s actions. It will conclude with some analytical questions that are aimed at
stimulating further discussion on the matters of state power and individual rights.
Williams- Hobbes and International Relations: A Reconsideration
Williams (1996) wrote that Thomas Hobbes believed for humans to be naturally selfish
and desirous of power. Hobbes presented the social contract theory which claimed that
individuals must give control to superior or supreme collective power for the sake of establishing
and monitoring order. Additionally, Hobbes believed that order is man-made and good while
chaos is natural and evil, thereby, criticizing life as anarchic and in need of a sovereign entity
like the state (Williams, 1996). I would counter-argue that Hobbes’ philosophy places too much
faith on a systemic body of control while maintaining a pessimistic generalization of individuals.

2. Social Contract Theory and Cosmopolitanism 2
If individuals are naturally evil, then what is to stop a systemic leader of the people (who is also
an individual) from performing evil acts by his or her own accord?
The study of Hobbesian philosophy has been recently put to the test in America with
mounting high-profile cases of police brutality. Cases like the police shooting of Michael Brown
in Ferguson and the chokehold death of Eric Garner in New York have stirred up national debate
on police accountability (Lewis, 2014). Hobbes would be in favor of a strong police force which,
in his point of view, is essential to a thriving society. US federal and local governments also
favor a strong police force in order to keep order and peace but offer a modicum of responsibility
to the public when dealing with issues of questionable civil rights. I would ask Thomas Hobbes,
if individuals are not to be trusted with power and must entrust their rights to a collective power,
then who gets to police the police?
Boucher- Kant’s Cosmopolitanism
According to Boucher (1999), Immanuel Kant spoke about a cosmopolitan community in
which morality was universally shared by all of humanity. With this concept in mind, he placed
the morality of international politics on the shoulders of individuals and disregarded the
legitimacy of state relations. He goes on to present the idea of categorical imperatives which
explains that individuals should act on what they believe to be the right thing; if what I do is the
right thing for me then it must be the right thing for everyone else to do. I would refute this
concept by saying that there are times when it is necessary to do what is wrong. Kant would say
that we should always tell the truth and never lie no matter the circumstance. Say a man with a
deadly weapon in hand breaks into your house and asks you to tell him where your children are.
Would you tell him the truth as Kant would suggest or would you lie to keep your children safe?

3. Social Contract Theory and Cosmopolitanism 3
I would relate Kant’s philosophy to the current event surrounding the actions of Edward
Snowden. A former contractor working for the National Security Agency, Snowden has been
portrayed as a hero to some and a traitor to others for leaking top secret US government
information such as the wildly contested topic of mass surveillance of US citizens. He personally
believes that he has done the right thing and that the government should not be keeping these
secrets from its people. He also believes that the mass surveillance of individuals through a
vague and secretive warrant is unconstitutional and that it is a global issue (CNN Library, 2015).
In relation to Snowden, Kant would agree that Snowden did the right thing. In his time, Kant
admired the revolutionaries of the French Revolution for their individual self-determination and
he would applaud the whistleblowing actions of Snowden as it would embody his universal
perception on the rights of man.
Conclusion
In conclusion, this paper analyzed the theories of philosophers Thomas Hobbes and
Immanuel Kant. It discussed the topics of Hobbes’ social contract theory which supports the
alienation of individual rights for a powerful state and Kant’s cosmopolitanism on the moral and
universal behavior of individuals. In addition, it compared these concepts to current events such
as the growing number of police brutality cases in the US and the ramifications of Edward
Snowden’s actions. Based on Hobbes’ theory, is there ever a moment in which giving up too
much of your individual right could be dangerous? And, in addressing Kant’s philosophy, how is
a cosmopolitan world feasible and how is conflict and chaos prevented when each individual is
correct in determining his or her own opinion on what is moral?

4. Social Contract Theory and Cosmopolitanism 4
References
Boucher, David (1998). Political Theories of International Relations. Oxford, UK: Oxford
University Press.
CNN Library (2015, March 10). Edward Snowden Fast Facts. CNN. Retrieved from
http://www.cnn.com/2013/09/11/us/edward-snowden-fast-facts/
Lewis, John (2014, December 15). Michael Brown, Eric Garner, and the ‘Other America’. The
Atlantic. Retrieved from http://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2014/12/michael-
brown-eric-garner-other-america-john-lewis/383750/
Williams, Michael C. (1996). International Organization. Massachusetts, USA: The MIT Press