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This is the standard leftist caricature of Hobbes yes, but as this case aptly illustrates, it completely fails to adress Hobbes' thesis.
Homeless schitzos menacing people is the state of nature. Upstanding citizens killing homeless schitzos out of hand is the state of nature.
The thing about social contracts that progressives do not seem to grasp is that they are reciprocal, imposing duties and privileges on both sides. A Hobbesian could easily argue that the City and State of New York rejected the contract first (or were at the very least derelict in their duties) because what happened on that subway was the state of nature and thus Sgt Penny was under no obligation to obey their rules.
The social contract is, at its base, a lie. It started as a justification of why one should obey the government, and the details are irrelevant, whether Hobbes, Rosseau, or even Locke. All "social contracts" boil down to "Society's representative, government, shall be the sole and final judge of all disputes under this contract". No other term is necessary, though if you want one it can be "Society, through it's representative, government, may change the terms of this contract at any time, prospectively or retrospectively, with or without notice".
Hobbes's just has a bit less window dressing than the rest. There are no enforceable reciprocal duties. An apparent "breach" on the part of the sovereign may only be judged by the sovereign, not answered by a breach on the part of the individual. So even if the city and state of New York were derelict, Penny does not lose his obligation to follow their rules. And if they rejected the contract, why, then Penny is in a state of nature, and the city and state of New York can enforce their laws upon him morally because in a state of nature, the strong do what they will.
That's certainly a take. I might even go so far as to suggest that the popularity of this sort of take amongst blue tribe professional-types is a large part of the reason the places run by them display the pathologies they do.
To be blunt, the details matter.
For all the talk about Hobbes being the "father of modern authoritarianism" have you noticed that when a state does go full authoritarian it's almost always the ones who are on more Rosseauean end of the spectrum (IE Communists, Socialists, and wacky 'cult of reason' types) who end up building the mountains of skulls?
I have a pet theory about why that is and it basically boils down to the attitude displayed in your comment. Like I said, the thing about social contracts is that they impose duties and privileges on both sides. I believe that the failure to grasp this, and the corresponding inability to appeal to any source of obligation or legitimacy other than violence and raw will to power, is major part of why left-wing ideologies seem so much more prone to totalitarianism and mass murder than right-wing ideologies.
Afterall the social contract is only "a lie" if you don't believe in it.
"Blue tribe professional types" babble on about the social contract all the time, as if it's a real thing that everyone agrees to that means you should obey (often accompanied by a sneer like "and if you don't like it, move to Somalia"). It's not a popular take at all.
It's a lie if the state doesn't believe in it. And states don't, generally, except in the sense I gave of an entirely one-sided obligation.
Babbling about something does not mean they understand it. Once again, something about social contracts that progressives do not seem to grasp is that they are reciprocal, imposing duties and privileges on both sides.
States don't have beliefs because states don't have agency, only individuals have agency.
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