The Hobbesian Problem of Order: A Critical Appraisal of the Normative Solution

In this paper an attempt is made to evaluate three answers-normative, coercive and exchange-to the Hobbesian question: how can one establish a society in which force and fraud are not routinely used in satisfying wants? Of the three answers, the normative solution is found to be least acceptable because, unlike the two non-normative explanations, it (1) focuses on the problem of maintaining a system in which the participants have already internalized norms prohibiting the use of force and fraud rather than on explaining how the relevant norms emerged; (2) tends to confound the problem of establishing a relatively well ordered system with the problem of increasing the level of integration of systems in which order already prevails; and (3) seriously underestimates (a) the degree of conflict which may be generated by shared values and (b) the role of norms based on self-interest in the creation and maintenance of social systems.