The English works of Thomas Hobbes of Malmesbury, Volume 05 (of 11) — Thomas Hobbes — John Shaqi
The English works of Thomas Hobbes of Malmesbury, Volume 05 (of 11)
Thomas Hobbes · en
“Good and evil are contraries, or opposite kinds of things. Therefore to
be able to choose both good and evil, is a liberty of contrariety, or of
specification. To choose this, and not to choose this, are
contradictory, or which is all one, an exercise or suspension of power.
Therefore to be able to do or forbear to do the same action, or to
choose or not choose the same object, without varying of the kind, is a
liberty of contradiction, or of exercise only. Now a man is not only
able to do or forbear to do good only, or evil only, but he is able both
to do and to forbear to do both good and evil. So he hath not only a
liberty of the action, but also a liberty of contrary objects; not only
a liberty of exercise, but also of specification; not only a liberty of
contradiction, but also of contrariety. On the other side, God and the
good angels can do or not do this or that good; but they cannot do and
not do both good and evil. So they have only a liberty of exercise or
contradiction, but not a liberty of specification or contrariety. It
appears then plainly, that the liberty of man is more large in the
extension of the object, which is both good and evil, than the liberty
of God and the good angels, whose object is only good. But withal the
liberty of man comes short in the intention of the power. Man is not so
free in respect of good only, as God or the good angels, because (not to
speak of God, whose liberty is quite of another nature) the
understandings of the angels are clearer, their power and dominion over
their actions is greater, they have no sensitive appetites to distract
them, no organs to be disturbed. We see, then, this distinction is
cleared from all darkness.
“And where T. H. demands, how it is possible for the liberty of doing or
not doing this or that good or evil, to consist in God and angels,
without a liberty of doing or not doing good or evil? the answer is
obvious and easy, _referendo singula singulis_, rendering every act to
its right object respectively. God and good angels have a power to do or
not to do this or that good, bad angels have a power to do or not to do
this or that evil; so both, jointly considered, have power respectively
to do good or evil. And yet, according to the words of my discourse, God
and good and bad angels, being singly considered, have no power to do
good or evil, that is, indifferently, as man hath.”
ANIMADVERSIONS UPON THE BISHOP’S REPLY NO. IV.
He intendeth here to make good the distinctions of liberty of
_exercise_, and liberty of _contradiction_; liberty of _contrariety_,
and liberty of _specification and exercise_. And he begins thus:
(_a_) “It is a rule in art, that words which are homonymous, or of
various and ambiguous significations, ought ever in the first place to
be distinguished,” &c.