Was Hobbes right in prioritising security above liberty?
In order to be able to break down the question, we must understand the individual concepts; the role of national security and the meaning of liberty. National security maintains the survival of the states through the use of economics, diplomacy, political and military power to isolate threats internal and external and the protection of classified information. Liberty is the freedom within a state, and is considered to be a factor which should work side by side with security in a social contract. The idea of liberty is the individual rights to self and the understanding of individual roles and responsibilities in to society in relation to concepts of free will. Security for the people is protection from individual man, and the protection of the state. Hobbes idea that security should supersede liberty is easily understandable and justifiable as life is one of the few natural and fundamentally concepts we fight to preserve and protect. In times of instability and frequent wars, li...