Shadows Beneath the Crown

One of the most important hypotheses of the Age of Enlightenment was the hypothesis of “human equality”. Two common interpretations of this equality have been “equality in human dignity” and “legal equality”. But Hobbes has a creative analysis of the concept of equality: according to him, we are equal in “vulnerability”. The strongest, richest, and smartest people are just as vulnerable as others. He argues that all it takes is a few people ganging up against the strongest, richest, and smartest person: they can wipe him out. Dictators and their repressive systems, no matter how strong and intelligent, cannot resist the cooperation of the majority of the population.