Hobbes Gun Control Memorandum for: President Obama

Grounding Gun Control in Hobbesian Philosophy

The state of the nation is in peril due to many conflicting circumstances and an ever present threat of war and chaos. The executive branch of the U.S. Government is responsible for guiding the country in the right direction according to the dictates given to the President and his staff by means of election. The moral and ethical duties of leadership are needed to help guide the American people into a new and brighter future.

Gun Control

The purpose of this memo is to provide political and philosophical guidance to help relate the current clash of ideas relating to gun control and violence. To accomplish this, the works of Thomas Hobbes will be used to frame the argument and provide a template of action that is based on popular social theories explained in Hobbes work. The advantage of using Hobbes' ideas in this case relate directly to the issue of gun control, and control in general over the masses of population that are under the blanket of government protection.

Gun control is an issue that is based in the fundamental liberties of the Constitution as the right to bear arms is an explicit mandate to allow the citizens of this country the opportunity to possess fire arms and use them in any way they see fit as long as it does not infringe on another's right to peacefully exist. It is important to realize however, that the Constitution is a living documented that has gone under many changes in its existence to this date, and it should not be a concern for a leader who can explain himself using Hobbes' ideas on the social contract of government.

Using Hobbes for Political Advantage

When Hobbes wrote " so...

First, competition, secondly, diffidence; thirdly glory," he expressed a simple manual for governance in a trinity of qualities. This ideals are useful in understanding how the common man thinks, but more importantly reacts to the political pressures that are placed upon him by his government. This struggle of ideas can be used for positive ends if the right tension is applied in the right places. To use the guidance presented by Hobbes, Mr. President, it is of primary importance of describing and explaining your objectives in an explicit manner.
The will of the president is all that prevents him from achieving the goals and desires that he wishes. Hobbes gave premise to this argument as he explained the common man as a very simple creature who must obey the natural order of things and the universe. This state of nature urges man to seek out his own individual needs and desires as a first reaction where self preservation is of the highest importance.

Politically, this view point can assist in modifying the opponents of gun control legislation. By identifying the major opponents on the efforts to quell gun control, and determining their most sacred self-interest, a compromise may be reached to help accelerate the legislative process that contains the control measures that you desire. Attacking an opponent's ability to self-preserve makes them much more willing to compromise and cooperate in political undertakings. For these reasons, it also very important that the Executive branch keeps their intentions for self preservation as secret as possible to help distort the political battlefield and confuse the enemy. All war is deception, and using Hobbes' ideas in this fashion may provide the necessary…