Final answer:
Thomas Hobbes argued for uniting individual wills under a sovereign to escape the state of nature, marking a metaphysical claim about human nature and a normative claim about moral and civil laws. An absolute authority was necessary, in his view, to maintain order and enforce moral and civil laws.
Step-by-step explanation:
Thomas Hobbes proposed a provocative view that in the state of nature, human life was marked by a kind of anarchic self-interest that led to a “war of all against all.” To escape this dangerous existence, Hobbes suggested that individuals must unite their wills under a single sovereign authority. According to Hobbes, the transfer of individual natural rights to a sovereign creates a social contract that establishes moral and civil laws, enforced by the centralized power of the monarch. This metaphysical claim rests on the idea that the nature of reality is such that humans are fundamentally egoistic beings, necessitating an absolute power for peace to prevail.
From a normative perspective, Hobbes’ claims suggest that it is not only rational but also morally right for individuals to cede their rights to a higher power for their own protection and for that of the commonwealth. This uniting of wills creates a Leviathan, a powerful government entity, which maintains order and security. The underpinning claims of Hobbes's philosophy revolve around the necessity of an absolute authority to uphold these laws of nature and prevent a return to the chaotic state of nature.