摘要：The problem of political stability–that is, the dilemma of how to secure enduring , legitimate political order–has long been the focus of much philosophical discourse and debate; 1 as a topic of analysis, it has exercised the energies and talents of a vast number of political theorists. Indeed, many of the most celebrated theorists have devoted a great deal of thought to trying to clarify and resolve the problem of political stability. This fascination and concern with political stability have been especially prominent in liberal political theory. For Thomas Hobbes, the individual whom is often identified as the progenitor of liberal theory, the need for political stability was paramount: without political stability, there could be no security for either life or liberty, and thus man’s existence could never be anything more than a chaotic, violent and bloody struggle for power–‘a condition of Warre of every man against every man’ (Hobbes, 1968: 196). Since its initial articulation by Hobbes, variants of this theme have often served as the foundation for liberals’ theorizing
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